


Forever Burn

by Arones



Category: Original Work
Genre: Action, Angst, Crime, F/F, Fantasy, Fear, Fem, Female Protagonist, Female Relationships, Fiction, Fire, Firefighters, Fireman, Humor, LGBTQ Female Character, Mystery, Supernatural - Freeform, Suspense, Telepathy, Thriller, lesbian
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-07-29
Updated: 2013-06-28
Packaged: 2017-11-10 23:16:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 42,147
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/471814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arones/pseuds/Arones
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>James has been a firefighter since she graduated college with her best friend Max. Two years ago there was a large house fire and the sole survivor was a two year old girl named Lily. That fire affected far more than James would ever know or admit. Now years later she's still having nightmares and horrifying dreams that she can't control and they are starting to influence her personal life and her job. Coincidentally, she runs into Lily again and starts down a path into a world that she never knew existed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is the prologue to a longer story. Thought I'd put it up here and see what I got about it.

It was hot in the house. James struggled to breathe even though the tank strapped to her back was supposed to provide her fresh air. She glanced around, her eyes scanning everything that was being lit up by the eerie glow of flames. Taking a step forward, she realized her feet were bare. Furrowing her brow, she was startled as a hot coal popped next to her ear and the sound resonated. Looking at where the noise came from, she saw only the shadows of embers flicker off the walls.

Drawing in another breath, the smoke filled her lungs and forced the air to leave her body in a wracking hack, James gasped. There was no tank. No fire suit. She was in her pajamas: shorts and a tank-top. Her feet were bare and her arms radiated pain from the heat that slowly consumed her. Glaring, she made for the ground crawling on her hands and knees looking for the exit to the house that was a maze of flames. Her hands began to burn from the hot floorboards sizzling around her.

Sitting back on her heels, James took deep heavy breaths trying to calm her racing heart. She was a firefighter for God’s sake; she should be fine not panicked. She would be fine if she had all the right equipment and knew where she was. Her eyes were dry, and she was having problems seeing which only added to her anxiety. Reaching her hand out, she started to move in the only direction she knew. Forward. 

Shuffling along the ground, she risked a glance back and saw the floor caving in, burning as the fire ate through it. Hurrying her steps, she went toward the stairs, using her fingers to feel the change in angle. She groaned and looked back again to see the door that was so far away. Flames surrounded it and licked wildly at the wood; the paint curled and fell into the vast darkness below. Swinging to face forward, she looked at the stairs raising her palm to begin her climb. 

It seemed to take forever for James to make it to the top. Twisting onto her back, she rested, staring at the ceiling, her heart pounding in her chest, and her stomach rising and falling with each breath she attempted to take. Every time she drew air into her lungs, the ash and smoke filled her body and forced its way out violently. Her throat was sore and burning, her eyes dry and hot, and the hair on her arms and legs were singed and they smelt of burning flesh: there was little hope remaining. 

Looking down at her toes, she saw the skin sloughing off her foot and onto the hardwood below. Screaming, she sat up and tried to shake the fire that was struggling to grasp hold of her. Bringing her foot closer, she saw bone and burned flesh. Ignoring it and the hurt from the injury, she made for the room closest to where she was sprawled. Crawling once more, her feet pressed into the hardwood of the floor to push her body along at a faster pace. James ignored the sharp slices of pain from the burn that drove up from her toes and into her knee with each slide she made. 

She only gave a moment’s thought to touching the metal doorknob before she wrenched it open. Her hand tugged back immediately, the scorched skin stuck to the metal as she pulled away and pressed her fist to her stomach, grimacing. Looking down at her feet, she realized the fire was creeping nearer and that she needed to move once more. 

Her head was spinning from the heat and lack of oxygen. The smoke and ash were overwhelming all her senses. She made it two feet into the room before her body fell heavily on the floor and she panted for air. Her eyes looked wildly around as breathing became a chore. She was giving up. 

Licking her lips, she tried to drag her body further, but her arms gave out. Her head collided roughly with the floor and when she looked up there were dark eyes staring back at her. James spoke to the child before her worriedly, “You—you shouldn’t be here.” Her voice was raspy as she made the effort to form words. “You need… to get out.” James struggled to sit up. The child remained unmoving; her face looked at James as if the woman didn’t exist, staring right through her. “Hey.” She tried speaking louder. “You need to leave.” James was yelling, but the dark eyes remained steady and true, locking with James’.

She pulled on the child’s hand, drawing her down to the same level she was at. The kid bent down, her long blonde curls touching her knees as she knelt. James tried again, her voice soft and pleading, “You have to get out.”

The child’s mouth moved, but no sound emerged as James struggled to listen. Again, she spoke and nothing.

“What are you saying?”

“James!”

The woman shot straight up in her bed. Her eyes were wide with fear, and sweat forced her tank to cling to her body. The air being dragged into her lungs with each strained breath was making her chest rise and fall unevenly. Glancing over to the woman next to her, the body moved slightly and mumbled. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, just a nightmare go back to sleep.” James took another long, deep breath and slipped from the bed to grab a glass of water and a cool shower. She was only gone two seconds before she padded back into the room, leaning on the bed with one knee and pressing her lips heavily against the sleepy, warm ones. The woman under her groaned and writhed as she started to wake up. “Ok, now I’m good. Go back to sleep.” Pecking the woman’s lips once more, James vacated the room.


	2. Chapter One

The red engine pulled into the fire station and it was as if a wave of relief washed over every fire and rescue employee that was on shift and returning from the call. It wasn't as if it had been a large fire, rather benign, but it was a fire nonetheless. James whipped out of the front of the truck and pulled her helmet off glancing at her crew. She wasn't in charge by any standards, but they were still her people. No one seemed worse for wear, which she had been expecting. She was riding on the quiet buzz of excitement and adrenaline she got by seeing the flames doused. Stepping onto the cement, her boot squished lightly. One of the trainees managed to hit her with the stream of water and she would be airing out the offending article of clothing hoping it dried before their next call. She would also be talking to the new guy about his mishap.

She was taking off her gear and setting it on the posts in the metal locker that held her name on it. She was grateful that the material could be shucked because the heat of the day and the heat of the clothes were starting to get to her. It was a ridiculously hot summer and even though it was just past four in the afternoon it was well over a hundred degrees. There was a trickle of sweat that slid over her brow as she slipped on tennis shoes over dry socks and bent to deal with her boots. "Damn noob." She muttered and flipped them over to dry.

"Horace!" The word was called out, her voice echoing in the room as her honeyed eyes scanned for the man her frustration was aimed at. He came right at her beck and call, knowing that even though she wasn't the boss she definitely held a great deal of power in the family system at Station Seven in Norwich. They might not be the smallest town, or the biggest, but the essence of the small town feel that traversed throughout the northwest had taken root there and was not likely to let go.

"Yeah?"

He was nervous. She could see it in the way that he walked over and the way he twisted his gloves. "Watch where the water goes next time. I don't want to be slogging around like a sop for the rest of your extended stay here."

"Yes Captain… ugh… ma'am." At the normal sign of respect and stutter from the man, James narrowed her eyes in a glare. "Uhh. Yes… James." He answered, his head nodding with the satisfaction of remembering not to call her ma'am.

"That's better." Heaving a breath she looked him over. "Get changed, dinner should be cooking soon. Know what the Chief's making?" Horace shook his head and she jerked hers to the side allowing him to go to his own locker.

Resting her back against the thin aluminum she waited for the man beside her to finish changing. They didn't normally have to wear everything, but they were training new recruits and it had been an actual fire. "Some emergency." Horace grinned, the wide space between his two front teeth catching her off guard like it always did.

"Yeah… we don't get many like those anymore. Mostly it's just medical calls and car crashes." Her voice softened and her eyes closed. It wasn't that she was physically weary, but she was tired of the same mundane calls happening over and over again. It was as if life was set on a continuous play back loop. New recruits in, trained, set up before they moved on to greater and bigger cities or they went off to become doctors or paramedics. Then new recruits would come in, be trained, and everything would just start over. Rarely did people stay in her field for long and rarely was her field utilized for what it was created for. Damn fire suppression systems being built into any and every new building. Her pale lips upturned at the cynical thought, and she finally glanced over to Horace, who was watching her. James spouted quickly, "That fire was nothing, some hobo just trying to eat a hot meal and getting into things that he shouldn't."

"Have you been to any real fires?"

James pulled a face: her brow scrunching, cheeks swelling, and her nose creasing with lines. "Of course I've been to a real fire." The image that flashed in her mind shattered the façade of strength that James always tried to show. A little girl stood in the middle of mindless flames that licked at everything in sight. She was two, blonde haired, but with the darkest chocolate eyes that James had ever seen. She was standing there, in the middle of the three story house with fire all around and staring at her as if James was going to teleport her away into a star-filled sky full of dreams and wonders. James blinked rapidly and brought her mind back to Horace who was giving her an odd look. "Two years ago there was a house that burned down on Bancroft and Palmer."

"Yeah, I remember reading about that."

She nodded. "The only survivor was a little girl named Lily. Her mother and father died—suffocated before being burned—and she was put into the system." Swallowing harshly, she pushed off the locker with her foot and glanced around changing the topic. "Dinner?"

Horace's sweet voice answered her with a grin revealing is gapped teeth. "Yeah, just got to clean up first."

"And fill the tank." James added as a gentle but forward reminder.

"Right, and fill the tank."

James made her way up the stairs into the lounge. Nice plush and gray couches graced a large portion of the room where they ate the majority of their meals: breakfast and lunch at least. They always had dinner at the long table with dark wooden chairs that surrounded it and the Chief always had them pray. It gave James the heebie-jeebies at first, but many months later she was used to the ritual and actually quite enjoyed it. She chalked it up to living in a religious town; after all, the city was named after Julian of Norwich and boasted a mission before its inception.

She sat next to Max on the red microfiber couch. They had been best friends through high school, so it wasn't odd when she rested her head on his shoulder and felt the motions as he hit the buttons on the video game controller he was playing. It was the privilege of having seniority, while the three trainees were downstairs cleaning all the equipment on the newly returned engine the seasoned employees went upstairs and rest for a bit. It was only if someone did something to piss the Chief off that they would get stuck down there, or when training was over. It was a respite that James was sure to take advantage of.

The race on the large screen in front of her was coming to an end, the red car had just smashed into the guard rail and the blue one sped by. She knew the blue one was Max. He was always blue. She rolled her eyes slightly before closing them and waited for the cheering of his success to start. When he jumped up it caught her unaware and she practically fell onto the couch beside him. "Max!" Whining, her voice slipped from high to low before she pinned him sharply with serious look.

"Sorry babe, but look!" He pointed excitedly at the screen and she saw his name with the high score flashing across it. Smiling, James shook her head, bit her lip and gave him a pat on his back in lieu of congratulations. Max was lost in bargaining with the rest of the boys and James was left on her own, as the white board across the way was erased. Max cheekily walked up to it and took the black marker and started to write names in the boxes along the edges of the board. It looked like the 'March Madness' board, only smaller and with far less names. It always made James shake her head with the boys' giddiness when a new game was started.

Max had everyone's names locked in and he ran through the list again. "Horace, JJ, Devon, Luke, Andrews, Collins, Chief, Mike…James?" He turned and pinned her with a hopeful look. She never joined in the games, but that didn't stop him from asking every time a new round started. James started to shake her head. Her hair that was still in the braided bun at her neck came loose with the movement as Max lifted his body up on his toes. "If I make it interesting?"

"And what can you do to make it interesting?"

James rethought the question far too late; the gleam in Max's eye told her that he knew exactly how to make her play. "Well, I'm sure you don't want them finding out about that thing that happened at the bar—"

"Alright, jeeze Max. I'll play the damn game." Her eyes lifted to the roof and she let out a huge breath. He was only threatening her with a minor embarrassment which was far better than what he could embarrass her with. That was the downside of being in the same city for so long and the disadvantage of working with people she grew up with. Oh well, she did love the man, so she would put up with his antics.

He scrawled her name on the board as the recruits came up from cleaning downstairs. Horace looked at what was happening and groaned. "We missed it."

"Yup and it was damned brilliant if I do say so myself." Max was still grinning like an idiot and James couldn't help but smile back. It was fun to tease the kids every once in a while. She was handed a controller tethered to the game system, apparently the batteries had worn low, and before she knew it the game was kicked into high gear. Her entire body swung to the side as the car she was driving on the screen made a right turn. "You know," Max leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Moving your body doesn't make the car move. It's not a Wii."

"Shut it, Max." Her jaw was clenched and her eyes were completely focused on the monitor as her car crossed the finished line.

She jumped up and shot her hands in the air shouting, "Yes!" Two milliseconds later, the game console crashed onto the floor in front of everyone. Her cheeks turned a bright red and her molars pressing against each other as she hissed. "Shit." Dropping the controller she started toward the system to check for damage. The guys were already surrounding it and pushing her hands away as she reached forward.

"We got it." Collins called to her softly. Pouting from embarrassment of not being able to fix her blunder, James went to the dining table and set it for the meal. The Chief was almost finished cooking and she wasn't about to waste time when they wouldn't let her help anyway. She received a pitied look from her boss when she reached to grab the plates out of the cabinet. They were having a real sit down meal, like they did for every supper. The dishes were set on the place mats and she glanced over at the guys once more. "It's okay!" Collins' high pitched voice sounded throughout the room. He was the resident geek, but the fact that it had taken him ten minutes to decide if the PS3 was dead or alive didn't put her at ease. Next time she would be sure the controllers were fully charged when she played: that way, no cords were involved. Relaxing slightly, she glanced at the Chief who was standing over the center stove and smirked.

"Knew it wasn't broken."

James shook her head and went back to the kitchen to grab the utensils. Seventy-two hour shifts could be long and hard, but there was always excitement, more often than not a few calls, and lots of community to be built. Anyone at the fire station knew that each member was inducted as a family, no matter who they were or what had happened before. As soon as they earned their title, the induction was complete and forever.

Slowly each man made their way to the table and took up a spot. They never had assigned chairs—officially or unofficially—as everything was rotated frequently enough that there was too much change to have the consistency. There was a large blue bowl that was set in the middle of the table and all eyes were feasting on it. Not one hand moved to touch it. Two more bowls were set down, salad and sauce, along with a large platter filled with freshly toasted garlic bread that James had baked, home-made. "Spaghetti." The Chief said with lips curving at the looks of utter satisfaction that crossed each man's features.

"It looks amazing Chief."

"You can thank James for part of it. The pasta and the bread." The trainees gaped, but the regular crew grinned and waited until their boss was seated. Each lifted their hands and grasped the fingers that were outstretched next to them. Drawing in a deep breath, the boss started. "Lord, thank you for the food, for the safety of this town, for the strength and family we have here. Let us be blessed with grace and courage as the day closes and a new day begins. Amen." Finishing the prayer, there was a slight rush to the bowls that were grabbed before being passed to the right.

James finished her salad last, having mostly greens and only a little bit of the pasta. Her eyes slid over the table to see where everyone else was in the process of eating and found she wasn't the only one who was done. The Chief locked eyes with hers and she fell into the green orbs as they softened. A shiver ran down her spine and she quirked her lips before reaching to grab her water. No one knew. Not even Max. Her glass was drained and she stood to bring her dishes to the sink. The recruits had to clean up, so she was in luck. She went to the couch and sat down heavily closing her eyes and debating on a nap. They'd had a call early that morning—baby had stopped breathing—and she had been unable to get back to sleep.

The Chief sat next to her, closer than she should have, but no one was around and James certainly didn't mind. A warm palm was pressed to James' thigh and those green eyes were focused in on her. "The baby lived you know, she didn't die."

James shook her head, "It's not that." Her hand slipped down to the thin fingers and she gripped them tightly, squeezing before releasing. "I just haven't been sleeping well."

"Well, I could help with that." Smooth, hushed tones washed over James' body and she had to work hard to suppress the chills that ran up her arms.

"Addison." The woman across from her blinked at the warning until her eyes squinted in a smile. "That was mean." James protested. "You're such a damn tease sometimes."

"Of course I am; I love to get you riled up." The caramel haired woman was grinning when the boys started to make their way back toward the couch. The hair in her short pony was bouncing and she removed her hand and scooted away from James' warm body. Turning to Max she dropped the topic at hand, "Is it my game yet?"

"One more round before you." Max winked and turned to the TV to start the game. James stayed for one round where she watched Horace beat Collins, but her eyes were starting to droop and she was having a hard time keeping her head up. The Chief reached over and tugged James' chin up the last time before nodding her head towards the racks and issuing a silent order.

James pushed herself up and stretched her muscles being sure to stand right in front of her Chief. She smirked to herself knowing that the woman was ogling her ass. Trekking over to Max she tapped his arm lightly. "I'm going to catch a catnap, wake me up in an hour? I want to work out."

"Yeah." His eyes slid over her. "You ok?"

Her head jerked up in a nod, "Yeah, fine. Just tired." She rubbed her eyes to make a point and left the loud room behind her for the quiet room filled with bunks. It was like heaven when she rested against the mattress. Turning on her side she took the small pillow that she kept in that particular cot and shoved it between her knees and slid the one by her head over her shoulder. Pulling air into her lungs she held it for a second before releasing it in one great whoosh.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Addison slipped into the racks and sat next to James who was soundly sleeping on the bed. Her body was curled tightly and her face was buried in the pillow. Pressing a warm hand to her arm Addison shook lightly trying to wake her employee. James shot up, pressing her hands into the mattress and sitting bolt straight until her head hit the top of the bunk. Cowering down she grabbed her forehead where it had collided with the metal support bar and groaned. Addison had jumped back at the sudden move and after a moment to calm, she leaned in close. Her fingers carded over James' cheek until she felt she was able to move the woman's hands and look at the injury.

"You hit it hard."

"No shit." James furrowed her brow until she realized that made her head hurt more and stopped. "I haven't done that in a long time."

"Yeah, few months if I recall." James hissed when Addison's hand brushed the bump on her head harder than expected. She looked carefully into each of James' yellow eyes, not being taken back by the odd hue, but rather her large dilated pupils. "Want to tell me what happened?"

"Intense dream." James looked sheepishly away as Addison kept her cool hands on James' hot skin.

"Want to tell me?"

James took a deep breath. She didn't really, but the woman deserved an explanation and to at least know a bit about what was going on. James had been waking her up with screams lately and dismissing it. "The same dreams I've been having for a while." She paused, "Lots of fire and that little girl."

"The one from two years ago." She said it as a statement, but it was meant as a question. James nodded and rested her face against the metal post that led to the upper bunk. With answer in hand, Addison continued. She licked her lips and leaned back slightly making sure of where the back of her head was so she didn't repeat James' mistake. "It's not unusual, you know. It was a traumatizing event."

"I know, but it was two plus years ago. I should be over it by now." James' lips formed a pout. "It's getting to be ridiculous."

"Well that I agree with."

"Thanks, Addy. That's real helpful." The sarcasm was dripping off her tongue and caused Addison to smirk.

She dropped a heavy hand onto James' thigh and patted it gently. "Right, you need some ice for that."

James nodded and laid back down waiting for her boss to return with ice from the kitchen. It wasn't long, but as the door opened she heard the winning shouts from the boys playing their game. "Did you win your round?" The cold pack was pressed to her head and she looked up in the dim light from the window at the beautiful woman leaning over her.

"Of course I did. Can't let the boys have all the fun." The soft chuckle flitted over to James' ears and she closed her eyes snorting. "You'll be up soon, actually."

"Soon? How long was I asleep?" She turned onto her side again and tried to get out of the bed only to be stopped by the Chief.

Addison looked over the head bump again, the reddening from the ice pack not hiding the goose egg just under the hairline. "That's going to hurt for a while."

"Don't joke with me, Addy; how long did I sleep?"

"A few hours."

James rolled her eyes and pushed her way out of the bed standing and looking around when her head started to rush. "I told Max to wake me up after an hour." Growling James tossed the ice pack onto the bed and stalked over to her locker to change into a clean uniform ignoring the wave of dizziness.

"And I told him to let you sleep. You needed it, James." Addison stood up making her ground clear. It had been her order and she didn't want Max to get any flack for it. Softening her voice she let the tone do what the words couldn't, "You haven't been sleeping well."

"Which you wouldn't know if you weren't in my bed just about every night. So take it or leave it as you will." The answer seeped through her voice.

The first tactic hadn't worked, thus Addison deployed a new method. "It doesn't matter, it's done and over with." She stepped to the door and flipped the light switch just as the bell sounded and dispatch came over the speakers.

Car accident. Head on collision. Unknown occupants. Unknown injuries. Corner of Garfield and 122nd. Medical aid requested.

Heaving a breath, each woman glanced at the other before leaving everything in the room and going out to do their jobs.


	3. Chapter Two

The scene was far more chaotic than James had anticipated. There were civilians running around trying to help injured crash victims and ignoring any orders given by the crew of the two engines her station had sent. She finally made it into the smaller of the two vehicles. It looked like a two-door sedan that had been turned into a no-door sedan. The front of the silver car was pushed up so tightly into the back that she wasn’t sure how the teen driving survived the impact. As it was, her counterpart had died instantly. The blonde girl was becoming frantic, her pulse was rising and her gasps for air were erratic at best. James’ hand was gloved and she stuck it on the girl’s side after seeing the blood there. She felt the air sucking through her fingers. 

“Damn it!” Muttering, she brought her face close to the girl and immediately used a soft and quiet tone. Her other hand rested on the girl’s forehead and she sent calm and soothing thoughts to her. “Hey there, what’s your name?” James was already tugging her right hand up under the shirt to press her palm more firmly against the broken skin. She successfully made a tighter seal around the wound and the girl started breathing easier, but with the blood that was already there James’ hand was slipping. She would need something far more effective, and soon. 

“Ash—Ashley.” It came out in two wheezing gasps and James’ brain started thinking quickly.

“Okay Ashley, I need you to calm down and breathe slowly. I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere, everything is going to be fine.” She leaned back and looked at her fingers noting the blood that was seeping out. She had no idea what punctured the girl’s side, but it collapsed the lung. Ashley’s legs were at an incredibly odd angle—at least what James could see of her legs—her knees were next to her chest, the steering wheel between them. James poked her head out of the vehicle and located an officer who just happened to be looking directly at her. “I need a medical kit and a hand.” The Sheriff’s deputy nodded and came with the requested items. 

James pulled out some plastic adhesive film and moved her hand to get a closer look at the injury. The deputy stood right behind her, leaning over and craning his neck so that he could see. She could smell the cologne which he used far too much of and screwed her nose up in response. Trying to ignore the distasteful stench, she turned back to Ashley. “This shouldn’t hurt a lot. You may feel some pressure.” She waited for the girl to nod slightly before slipping her hand away and covering the open cut with the plastic. She ran her fingers along the edges to make sure that there was a tight seal and the girl’s breathing became deeper. Grinding her shoe against the pavement, James moved her knee to rid the slight ache that was starting in her joint from being in one position for too long. “How are you doing, Ashley?” She handed the trash back to the deputy and waited for a reply from the girl. Checking for more injuries that might need immediate attention, she wasn’t staring at Ashley’s face.

When there wasn’t an answer, James stood to lean into the wreck of a vehicle and set her hand against the girl’s cheek. “Ashley.” Tapping the flesh lightly, she waited for a reaction, and when she didn’t get one her heart started to pound. Her other hand found Ashley’s wrist and she felt for a radial pulse letting out a breath when she felt the sweet pump under her fingertips. “Ashley, come on baby, you have to wake up now.”

Still there was no response from the girl, but that didn’t deter James. It would probably be better for her to remain unconscious when they removed her very broken body from the twisted metal. A third truck arrived from Station Five with all the equipment that would be necessary. Powering up the electronic cutter, they set it against the metal frame in the back of the car after shattering the windows. James covered the girl’s face with her jacket to prevent any shards of glass from causing more damage. Her eyes slid over to the passenger seat where the other teenager lay awkward and lifeless; she turned back to her patient. James’ head was covered with the helmet that they always brought but rarely used, so she was safe from glass and the jaws. The Chief had carried the helmet over when the jaws-of-life arrived and thrust it onto the Captain’s head. The pop from the machine startled James, but it wasn’t long until there was another and another and then finally the fire crew was leaning over her to cut the last support. 

When the last pop resounded, the paramedics had arrived—late to the scene as usual—they took over and started to pull the girl out after checking her over. Slipping her limp form onto a backboard, they gently set her on a stretcher for transport. James wandered away after giving the pertinent information. Not wanting to see Ashley any longer, she went back to her fire truck tossing her gloves on the seat before following them in. She pulled out the metal box clipboard and started on her paperwork, her legs hanging out the open door, while the rest of the staff finished whatever they were doing. She wasn’t expecting the hand on her knee and was startled before she realized who it was. 

‘Mr. Sheriff’s Deputy with the extra smelly cologne’ had his hand on her leg and a soft look on his face. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her brow narrowed and wrinkled between her eyes. It was a look she often gave when trying to figure something out. There was something off about him, yet something overwhelmingly pleasant as well. “You good?” She didn’t know why she asked it back, but she couldn’t help herself.

He nodded and smiled, his white teeth showing and his eyes crinkling in the corners. “Yeah, for now. Don’t ask me tonight though.”  
James cocked her head to the side reading his name badge. She hadn’t seen him around and in a town this size she knew all the officers of law. “Deputy Taylor.”

“Heath Taylor, at your service ma’am.” He bowed his head slightly.

“First off, don’t call me ma’am.” James jumped down from the truck and started for the back to check on her supplies. “Second, I’m James.”

“James? What’s your first name?” He followed her and stood closely as she opened a storage hold, the hinges swinging up until she set the metal leg in its locked position so she could dig around inside. 

She was having a slight issue with how close he was to her, but let it slide without comment. “James Matthews. My mother liked jokes.” The last statement was bland and obviously not the truth. She shut the door and looked to her left noting that the people from her station were starting to come back; she could feel their adrenaline running around and their minds whirling. She knew what each was thinking and feeling without looking at their faces. Adrenaline was always a good sign and one that she took to steady herself. The boys started to round up all the supplies, used and un-used while cleaning up the area as best they could. 

“What you did today was really brave,” his voice was hushed and his eyes cascaded across her face, tracing the lines of her cheeks and jaw.   
Taking a moment to pause, James realized that she had no idea what she should say. She was never good with compliments, but this one was extremely odd coming from him—he didn’t seem like the type to give out compliments. “Ummm… thanks. Just doing my job, you know.” And really, she was. This time she had done little outside of her job description. “You know we’re not just fire anymore, we’re fire and rescue.” Giving a quirk of her lips and showing some teeth in the smile, she hoped it was enough for a quiet hint. 

“I love your eyes.” 

James stepped back and blinked: obviously not enough for a dismissal or a hint. She really had no idea how to reply to his comment, and she was beginning to feel rather uneasy.

“I mean, they’re so unique and expressive.” He amended, trying to explain away his sudden outburst that had clearly made James uncomfortable.

Air was slowly pulled into her lungs and she let it out in a rush deciding on what to say. “Yeah, everyone says that, try to be a bit more original.” Turning on her heel, she made for where her Battalion Chief was standing and away from the nosey and creepy deputy. Addison’s foot was tapping, her eyes wouldn’t leave James’ face, and her lip was pulled between her teeth. The nerves were running high in Addison as she watched James approach. James stopped in front of her boss and let out a sigh of relief before she realized the ‘Deputy with a hygiene problem’ followed her.

“Addy, so good to see you again.” He drawled out her name and made the hair on James’ neck spike to attention. 

“Heath.” That same tonality that put James very on edge echoed through Addison’s voice. The waves of worry and anxiety that were running from Addison and crashing into her were far greater than any James ever experienced. “What are you doing here?”

“Just transferred. I quite like it here.” He stepped closer and started hovering over the Chief, his blue eyes traipsing all over her body before he ran a hand through his blonde, short-cropped hair. “Nice neighborhood, great for raising kids.” His hand was on Addison’s back and he was staring at James.

“Well, that’s good for you.” Addison gave a terse remark, the only one she could think of, before slipping out of his grasp. “If you’ll excuse me, I have actual work to do.” She moved away and went to the other side of the truck. James followed and everyone was there within minutes. “We have everything?”

“Yeah.” Horace spoke up.

Addison nodded her head and fiddled with her own clipboard which was exactly the same as James’ only with different paperwork. “Ok, pack it in, let’s head home.” Addison moved to her own vehicle, the Chief’s truck that only she drove, while James went back to the front of the engine she was Captain of, her crew of two and one trainee, Horace, followed diligently behind. Jumping in she strained her neck to watch the newest interaction between Deputy Taylor and her secret significant other.

“You’ll hurt your neck if you keep doing that.” Max was grinning at her, his blue eyes twinkling with mischief as he started the engine and began to drive away. Addison was making angry movements with her arms and hands, cutting off the deputy when he tried to speak. That was until she was suddenly speechless in response to something he had said. James wished she could have heard the words, but the moment was gone and all she could feel from Addison was utter terror and a deep seeded fear. “Seriously James, stop it.” Max’s large hand gripped her cheek and moved her head to face the windshield so she could no longer see the two people behind her. She pouted when she felt the connection drop between her and Addison. “You got a crush on the dude or what?” Max knew the question was pointless. He knew James wasn’t attracted to men, so the fact he asked meant others had noticed her stare or that they would notice.

“Hardly.” Crossing her arms over her chest, she leaned back into the seat and waited to be taken to her second home, which was actually closer to her first. 

“James has a crush.” He started and she was so glad she knew how to ignore him. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes to enjoy the ride. She loved the man to death, but sometimes he needed to keep out of her business. 

After arriving back at Station Seven, James helped clean the vehicles and then went to take care of herself, her head was pounding and her body was aching. She took a shower, washing all the dirt and grime from her body and hoped that the night would go by quickly with no more calls. It was their last night on duty, and at half past six in the morning they would be changing shifts and she would be off for a glorious two days. Two days that James would spend scrubbing down her apartment and cleaning everything in sight. Stepping out of the hot water and changing into a clean uniform, she tied her hair behind her neck, pleating it like she always did. She moved into the living area where the boys were being lazy; plopping down next to Horace and Max, James rested her head on Max’s broad shoulder. “Where’s the Chief?”

“Not back yet.”

“What do you mean she’s not back yet?”

“She called and said she got stuck dealing with some of the deputies. Said she’d be in later.” He shrugged and then realized that the water from her hair was soaking into his navy blue polo. “Hey!” He pushed her head up with one finger and made a disgusted face at her. “Not cool, J, not cool.”

“Well you didn’t come wake me up.” She planted her head back down and made sure the wettest part of her pleated braid smeared into his shoulder and that the water dripped down his arm. 

Max grumbled. “That’s disgusting.”

Shrugging, James remained still knowing that Max wasn’t going to make her move. “Take me out tomorrow night.”

“Aren’t you going on a date with whoever your latest conquest is?” He said it as quietly as possible, but James was sure Horace, who was sitting close on her right, heard. She punched her best friend in the side and he grunted. “Sorry.”

“No, I don’t have a date. I don’t want a date. I want to get drunk, piss-ass drunk. Take me out?”

“Now how can a man resist a request like that? Do I get a lay in the hay too?” He rolled his eyes and pulled the comic book he was reading closer to his face ignoring her. He wanted to see how much she would beg. 

Brushing her face into his shirt, she scooted up around him and planted half her body on his lap, her leg wrapping over his thighs. Walking her fingers up his chest, she waited as he looked down. “Maxwell, I would love to go to the bar with you.” She batted her eyelashes. “I would love to get all drunk and flirtatious with you.” Her fingers made their way to his lips where she brushed her thumb over his lower one. “Take me out?” The big burly man reading the comic book was utterly speechless and complete goo. He kept staring into her yellow eyes as they wavered back and forth at him and he couldn’t think of anything coherent. “Maxwell?” She crooned seductively letting her voice wash over him.

“Yeah, sure.” He swallowed hard and turned back to his comic not looking at the grin of satisfaction on her face. 

“Now, when is the Chief coming back?”

“No idea. What’s it matter anyway?” He seemed to be back in shape after her little flirtatious streak; she felt him rebounding to their normal banter.

“No reason.” James turned her back to Max and curled her feet under her body. They would probably be heading to the gym soon to get a good workout in before trying to sleep off the rest of the adrenaline from the car crash. 

 

Addison drove to the nearest gas station to fill the tank of her truck. Stepping out, she swiped the business card and started pumping the life giving force of the vehicle into the tank. She leaned against the metal, lifting her leg to hold her body up, while crossing her arms over her chest. Her pants pulled tight at the knee and her polo hung loose. She was never one for tight clothes. They were far too restricting. The bang on the hood of the vehicle startled her. Her arms flung out and her back lifted off the vehicle as she turned sharply to see what it was. “Holy crap, Heath. That was uncalled for.” Rolling her eyes, she resumed her position and watched as he walked over. 

He pressed up close to her, his body lining up against hers and throwing her off balance until she had to grip onto his shoulders to keep from falling over. “I missed you.” Lips descended onto Addison’s, his hands slipped down her sides and back up. It took her a moment too long to shy away.

“I’m sure you did.” Pushing him lightly, she moved to the hose and returned it, collecting the receipt. “What are you doing here, Heath? In all honesty.” 

“You said when you left that I had to make a choice. That I had to choose to let you win some battles or I had to let you go. I’m here to let you win.”

“That was a year and a half ago!” Huffing, she tried to make her way back to the driver’s door ignoring the fact that the choice she had given him was not the one he claimed she gave. Heath stopped her with a hand to her shoulder and a foot between her legs.

Air pulled into his lungs and he let it release. “I’m here. The least you can do is talk to me.”

“You didn’t come here for a chat.” Wrenching open the door to the truck, Addison was suddenly turned and thrown against the back of the cab.

“You will listen to me.”

“Not if you man-handle me.” Jerking her arms from his hold, she glared him down, her eyes sliding over his face until he stepped away. “That’s better. You really want to talk to me? Then try picking up the phone every once in a while without the expectation of a booty call. There is more to life than sex, Heath; I hope you’ve learned that since the last time we spoke.”

He was grinning when she finished her rant and pulled her quickly towards him pecking her lips loudly. “God, I missed you Addy.” She was smiling when he released her and couldn’t help the slight blush that rose to her cheeks. “Let’s get a coffee.”

“A coffee?”

“Yeah, show me where the cops go to get a ‘cup o joe’.” He forced a faux Brooklyn accent which made her snort with laughter. 

“You’re an idiot, you know that right?” She slipped into the front seat of the truck and shook her head. “Following?” Heath grinned, patted the door after shutting it and made for his own vehicle, a standard SUV with all the bells and whistles that were issued to the deputies. How she had missed it following her to the gas station was surprising, but she shook off the thought and started her engine. 

The sun set before she made it back to the station house. Parking her vehicle in the rear lot, Addison grabbed her keys and papers and headed up to her office, it was going to be a late night. Dropping the metal clip board on her desk, she made for the gym where she knew her most stubborn employee would be. Slamming the door open and glancing around until she saw the thin woman in shorts and a tank running on the treadmill, she shouted boldly. “Matthews, get your ass in my office pronto.” 

James slowed to a walk for five minutes before grabbing a towel and running it over her face. She knew she was only going to piss the Chief off by her delay, but at that point she could care less. She’d had a harrowing event, she had a massive headache, and all she wanted to do was sleep which was something that wasn’t allowed to happen for at least a few more hours. Grabbing the spray bottle of disinfectant and some paper towels, she cleaned her machine and grabbed her water bottle downing what was left of the contents. Giving Max a sidelong look to show him her disdain, she rolled her eyes and grinned before leaving the room. 

“What’s up, boss?” She was wringing the cotton between her fingers.

“Shut the door.” James let out a breath and turned around closing the only exit she had in the room. “Why are you working out?”

“Because you’re always telling us to keep in shape?” Her eyes grew big and her lips pursed as she tried to knock off the comment with sarcasm.

“You hit your head on the bunk no more than a few hours ago.”

“I’m fine.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you are. And when you pass out on the floor, will you be fine then?” Addison was leaning over her desk pressing buttons on her computer and not glancing at James. She was very good at admonishing her lover without looking at her, a talent she learned over the past year and a half. It was easier for both of them that way, particularly when they headed home after their shifts.

“Well I would hope that someone would pick me up, make sure I didn’t break anything, maybe take me to a doctor. But I don’t know, Addy, would you care enough to do it?” 

The sharp words hit the brunette hard and she glanced up, her eyes skimming over the slick and curvy form. “The anger is uncalled for, and this is not the time or the place to discuss this. You know that.”

“You brought it up.”

“Actually you did, but again. Not here.” Her body swung back to the computer and she stopped talking.

“Was that all you wanted?”

Addison sat straight up and crossed her arms, looking James over again. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I didn’t bring you in here for anything else.” James turned on her heel to stalk out of the room, hoping sincerely to be able to slam the door loudly, but a wave of dizziness caught her in its grasp and she had to take hold of the wooden desk chair to stay upright. “James…” The Chief stepped over and gripped shoulders softly, guiding her. “Sit down.” James’ butt hit the wood and she rested her head back, her eyes facing the ceiling.

“I’m fine.”

“Damn right you are.” The flirtatious comment slipped from Addison’s tongue as she ran hands over James’ head. She watched the color drain from already pale cheeks. “You all right, sweetie?”

“Don’t call me that.” Deep and slow breaths were all that James could manage until her eyesight fully returned from the black splotches that had confiscated it. Addison had her hand on James’ wrist waiting for her heartbeat to slow. “I’m good now.”

“Well, better at least.” Again, Addison ran her hands over James’ head and hair making sure to check the goose egg that was still present at the hairline. “I don’t want you doing anything the rest of the night.”

“Fat ch—“

“If you don’t…” Addison continued without letting James interrupt her, “I’m going to send you home and you really don’t want me to send   
you home. Then the Lieutenant Chief and the Fire Chief will find out and we wouldn’t want that.”

“Fine.”

“Good.” Addison glanced up at the door, noting no one loitering outside and leaned in to press her lips quickly to James’, lingering longer than she first anticipated. “Stop scaring me.”

“I’m pretty sure it’s in my job description to scare you.”

Shaking her head, Addison sat in her own chair and looked at James’ weary face. “Perhaps it is. Good work today, by the way. Fast thinking.”

“I can only hope it helps.” Addison understood the sentiment. They hadn’t left the girl in a good condition, she was lucky to have survived the crash. Sometimes, when she was most cynical, she wished that they would have died and been spared the suffering. James stayed in the chair as Addison started her paperwork until her head started to jerk up after her body lulled her into sleep one too many times. She was flashing between fire, heat, panic and the cool, comfortable atmosphere of her boss’ office. The dreams weren’t enough to drag her into full slumber and the nightmarish quality of her sleep kept waking her before she wanted.

James felt a gentle finger on her chin and cheek before lips descended onto her own. James gripped the back of Addison’s neck and held on as their mouths pressed against each other. The embrace slowed and Addison eased away gently. “Go to sleep, and use that for a dream rather than a nightmare.” Addison smirked and pressed a hand to James’ thigh, sending her on her way before emailing a report to the Fire Chief.


	4. Chapter Three

James collapsed onto her bed and stared at the ceiling after arriving home. It was ten to seven in the morning and even though she slept the majority of the night with little interruption, she was still craving the sweet sensation of unknowing only a deep slumber could create. To be cocooned in her own dreams and bed was something she always cherished as soon as her body pressed into any mattress.

"Just a quick nap," she spoke to an empty room. She wasn't completely alone if she considered the three fish living in the tank in the corner of her living room, but there was a wall between her and them. "No one will be the wiser." Stripping down to nothing other than panties and a tight fitting tank, James curled into the dirty covers that hadn't been washed in weeks and set her head on the pillow beckoning sleep. Her cell phone sounded next to her on the nightstand where she'd set it to charge. Narrowing her eyes at the light, she debated whether or not to look.

Wearily reaching out, she grasped the mobile device and flipped the screen lock staring at Addison's name. The text was short, 'Dinner tonight? Working today.' Technically, she could eat dinner with the woman and then go out with Max later for the alcohol she was craving, but she didn't feel like eating dinner. Something was off with Addison and James did not want to deal with whatever it was. Ignoring the text, she set the phone back and closed her eyes. She laid there trying desperately to seduce the one called slumber. No more than twenty minutes passed when her phone went off again.

Grinding her teeth, she flipped it on and glared hoping it was Addison with another text so she could send a nasty one back. Instead it was Max telling her he miraculously found a date that night and he was sorry to bail, but since he rarely got the opportunity James would have to live. Sighing, she plopped the phone back down after sending a curt reply and closed her eyes once more. The silence didn't last as long as she wanted. Her eyes flicked up at the ceiling when the kids across the street were let out for recess at the daycare and she could hear the care provider yell at them every two seconds. Groaning inwardly, she clenched her eyes and turned onto her side pressing her face into the pillow.

She officially gave up on any semblance of sleep when the phone started the low rumblings of the Klingon war song. James pulled in a deep breath of air and let it out with a short huff before turning over and sitting up. Ripping the phone off the charger just as the ringtone switched to the Klingon drinking song, she pressed 'accept call' and shoved it to her ear. "Hey, Mama."

"Hey there, potatobug. How was work?" Her tones were sweet and soft and James couldn't find any fault in her.

James let out a sigh and reined in her anger at not being able to catch a nap. "It was fine. Few calls, nothing big."

"I drove by the accident yesterday… saw you out there."

"Yeah?" James left her room and started on the dishes piled in the sink and left for three days straight. She certainly wouldn't have won any housecleaning awards, and her mother tended to point it out.

Just as she opened the dishwasher, her mother started to talk about the accident. "It looked bad. Did anyone die?"

James let out a sigh: every time her mother asked these questions the result was always devastation, but James supposed it was better than finding out via the news broadcast. The news way of Cameron finding out, only resulted in James' mother worrying more and sending an abundance of text messages. She really didn't want to answer, but there wasn't much choice in the matter. "Yeah mom, the driver of the vehicle that swerved into oncoming traffic died after we got there, and one of the kids in the other car died on impact. Don't know anything about the driver of the second vehicle, though. She was critical when she left the scene."

"That's terrible."

And there her mom went. Shoving plates, forks, spoons and bowls into the dishwasher, James made sure there would be room for the pots so she wouldn't have to wash them by hand. Her mom was still talking about how horrible it must be to have that happen as a parent and James was only half listening with an affirmative sound escaping her lips every once in a while. "Yeah, that would suck." James inserted in an attempt to end the ramble. She started the load of dishes and was looking at the rest of her apartment. Interjecting a new topic was always a sure-fire way to get her mother off the subject of her work, so she did the only thing she could think of. "I'm cleaning house today."

"Oh, really? That's a rare occurrence."

Rolling her eyes, James made for the laundry basket hidden in her closet. Dumping out what was left of the clean clothes, she piled the dirty ones that were on the floor into the open container. "Yeah, I know. Needed to be done." She was holding the phone between her ear and shoulder and secretly wishing for an accidental hang-up. "Was there a reason you called?"

"Yeah! Thanks for reminding me. I was at the grocery store this morning and I met a really nice boy there."

"Mom." James tried to cut her off, the deep sigh releasing while her eyes closed in resignation.

Cameron kept on talking. "He just started working there. He's going to the university in the fall for his Master's in Education. He wants to teach history, isn't that a nice thing."

"Yeah, mom." James acquiesced to hearing her mother out while she shoved clothes in the washing machine not bothering to sort colors.

"He said he loves high school because the kids are just starting to discover a world beyond the one that they've been taught all their lives." James took a deep breath and tried not to get angry. It wasn't that her mom was trying to set her up, with a guy, while she was lesbian and proud of it—well, secretly proud of it—it was the fact that she was only twenty-four and her mother seemed to think grand-parenting was necessary within the next two years. Sure, she felt the biological clock tick away a few times, but being in the relationship that she was in, if it could even be called that, meant children were not going to be an option for a good amount of time. Hence, why she'd signed up to be a respite care provider for foster kids.

"That's good for him, mom."

"I gave him your number."

"You did WHAT?" She almost dropped the phone when her mom blurted out that tidbit of information. "Mom! You can't go around giving out my phone number like it's a piece of candy."

"Okay, okay… I won't do it again."

"Good, because if you do I'm changing my number and not giving you the new one." She sat heavily on her couch and stared at her television that wasn't turned on. There was a long pause where Cameron absorbed James' anger and James tried to control her responses. Eventually, James spoke again. "What's his name?"

"Jimmy."

"Jimmy? Really? You set me up with a guy that has the same name as me?"

"No, his name is Jimmy."

"Which is usually short for James." Rolling her eyes, she threw her head back into the couch immediately regretting the move. "Ouch." James slipped forward, clutching her forehead and trying to shove the pain away from her face without moving.

"What happened?" The worry in her mother's voice could not have dissipated James' anger more quickly.

James rolled her hand over her head feeling the lump that was still present. "Nothing, I hit my head on the top rack. Got a bit of a bump."

"Do you have a concussion?"

"No, mom. It's fine, Addison looked it over."

Her mom clucked her tongue and there was a very awkward silence. It always happened whenever James brought Addison up, which she only ever did in a professional manner, but it still always set her on edge. "I don't like that girl."

"I know." James rolled her eyes and stood making for the kitchen sink to get a wash rag and clean off the counters which were clear of excess dirty dishes that didn't fit in the sink.

"That girl's trouble I'm telling you."

"So you've said, and I want to repeat that just because Addison is bisexual and open about it does not mean that she out to sex everyone up. Or that her goal is to ruin unsuspecting people with her wiles." Her hand dipped the sponge in the running water and soaped it. "She works very hard at her job and is a great boss to have." Pumping her hand, she waited until there were suds spilling out before smashing it onto the counter and scrubbing hard. She gritted her teeth wishing the conversation would end soon, and when nothing happened and Cameron remained silent, James asked the only question she could think of, "Care for a subject change?"

"To what?"

"I don't know… what are you doing today?" Her arm went in circles over the cheap material that had been installed in the small house before she bought it. She had meant to replace it for years with granite, but never got around to it. Currently, it was banged up, old, and disgusting.

Cameron's voice was slow when she spoke, "Well, I went to the store."

"So you mentioned." James could imagine her mother rolling her hazel eyes at the interruption to her train of thought.

"I went to the grocery store and now I'm driving to the hardware store to get some things for a project. Which, by the way, it would be wonderful to have your help with."

Her mother always asked for help on whatever it was she was doing. James was sure it was because she wanted the company and not the assistance. "What's the project?" James cleaned off the soapy counter with a clean, wet cloth. Then she realized she probably should have done that before she started the laundry. Sighing, she went to her living room and started to organize the coffee table which was where she dumped everything when returning home and where she spent the majority of her time.

"You'll see. I don't need much, just a hand. You know how nervous I get when using the rotary saw all alone in the house."

"Where's dad?"

"He's out for the day."

James furrowed her brow, stacking papers and dumping them on the desk in her bedroom. "Out for the day, what does that mean?"

"Oh, nothing really, he just went to play golf."

That caught James' attention. Her mind started whirling and she couldn't stop the words as they slipped from her mouth, "Dad hates golf."

"Well, he doesn't now. Are you coming over today? I really could use your help."

James looked around her house and glared at the mess that had the audacity to exist. "Yeah, I'll be over." She hung up the line after a quick goodbye and decided she really needed to kick it into high gear and clean everything before her mother called again asking where she was. Pulling on a pair of gym shorts, she felt dressed enough and slipped the rarely used vacuum out of the hall closet.

###

Addison was filling out the rest of her paperwork in her office. The rowdy crowd from the new shift was just outside her door and full of energy. Being the Battalion Chief, she usually only worked days and during normal business hours as well as in an on-call format on nights when her presence was needed. It was something she shared with the Battalion Chief's from the other stations, but occasionally, Addison liked to stay the night to bond better with her crew and learn more about her new recruits. Her hours were a downfall to the job, but she loved it just the same: longer hours, less camaraderie, far more responsibility. If she were to be promoted she would lose the hands-on experience and that was no acceptable.

It was noon before she made it out of the office and down to her personal vehicle. She'd stolen a bit of the lunch that was made and was stuffing her face while getting into her truck. Her brow furrowed when she saw the white piece of paper slipped under her windshield wiper. Getting out, she plucked it from the bright red Ford F150 and read over the horrible handwriting twice before it absorbed into her sleep deprived brain.

Pursing her lips, she contemplated the request. James hadn't answered the text so she was assuming she was free. Dialing the number left on the note, she agreed to have dinner at one of the fanciest restaurants in town and not on her dime. Addison had only been there once before and the food was amazing. Hanging up and smiling, she drove to her apartment. She needed to shower and clean up a bit before she had to get ready for the evening. Her mind was running through all the clothes she owned trying to determine which would be the best outfit to wear. She wasn't the girliest of girls, but she at least had choices, unlike a certain woman she knew.

The drive to her apartment was quick. The yellow brick building never held much appeal to her, but since she rarely spent time there she didn't feel it necessary to move. Unlocking the door, Addison immediately slipped her shoes off and pulled up the blinds letting in the sunlight. Sometimes she felt like recluse after being at the station for hours. Ignoring the isolation, she started on her homely duties with a sigh and discounted the nagging feeling in the back of her mind about James' sleeping habits, or lack thereof.

Hours later, she heard the soft knock on her front door. Addison skimmed her hands over the little black dress she was wearing. Loose fitting at work did not mean that she couldn't have tight fitting when trying to be sexy. The dress wasn't much, but it was enough to give her the boost she wanted. She didn't glance through the peephole; it was a small enough town it wouldn't matter. The deadbolt slid open and she tugged the door inward, revealing none other than James Matthews standing on her porch.

"Addison." James licked her lips as her eyes skimmed appreciatively over the body in front of her. Where Addison had curves James had none and James loved to run her hands over those curves. The dress was thin strapped and stopped well above the knee line, leaving little to the imagination about Addison's legs. Drawing in a deep breath, James managed to bring her eyes back up to the curious face staring at her.

"James?"

"I thought we were doing dinner."

"You never answered me."

James eyes glossed slightly as she tried to remember. "Right. I didn't, did I? Whoops." She gave a quick grin. "I take it you have other plans then."

Pulling her lower lip between her teeth and tugging gently, Addison spoke, "You do realize that you have sawdust all over you."

"Yeah, one of my mom's crazy projects. Who are you going to dinner with?" She didn't want to pry, but at the same time she kind of did. It was a conundrum and James gave up quickly trying to figure it out. She also was distracted by a sudden urge to press Addison hard into the door and run her hands all over the curvy and ill-concealed body. However, with Addison's gentle reminder of how James looked, she knew the move wouldn't be appreciated. So she remained still.

Addison opened the door further letting James into the apartment before shutting it gently with a smirk and slight flush: she had caught the look in James' eye. "An old friend." She made to the bathroom to finish putting her makeup on, breathing deeply to calm her tingling body. James followed.

"You look really good."

Addison smiled in the mirror when she realized James was basically bouncing from one foot to the other with nerves rolling all over her body. "Thank you." She turned and kissed James fully on the lips, intending only a peck, before putting her lipstick on. She didn't want to smear it. James, however, had other designs. Grabbing Addison by the back of her head, she pulled her closer not letting go for a long time. When Addison moved back, her cheeks were flushed and her eyes wide and crinkled at the corners in a smile. "You better not have gotten sawdust on my dress."

Shrugging was James' only answer as they each looked down and saw small pieces of wood clinging to the fabric. Addison rolled her eyes and brushed herself off. Leaning over the bathroom counter, she slathered her lips and popped them together grinning.

"I have to get going."

"I'm sure. Hot date?"

Snorting, Addison shoved the lipstick into her clutch. "Hardly." She didn't answer further, knowing James would become jealous or angry if she did. Moving onto her toes, she kissed the woman's cheek before heading for the door allowing James to follow.

"Will you be coming by tonight?"

"Probably not. Weren't you going out with Max?" At the look she received, Addison continued. "Overhead the talk at the station. Horace was quite impressed with your tactics mind you. Better watch out for him."

"I'm taken." James hadn't realized she spoke until the words already left her lips in haste.

Addison raised a brow. "Are you?"

"Aren't I?" Her eyes slipped from each of Addison's, the air in the room thickening and her muscles tensing.

"Do you want to be? Because for the last year and half you didn't. If you do, one of us would have to transfer stations. Not to mention, you would need to tell your parents, you know that. We've talked about it before." Addison locked the door behind her and pulled out a pair of sunglasses for the short drive. "I want you to seriously think about it before you answer. And I don't mind being the one to transfer." She waited for a nod from the silent James. "Right, I need to be off." Her green eyes skimmed the body still covered in a fine dust. "Don't worry, we're fine." Addison leaned in at an even height with James for once because of her heels, and pressed a quick kiss to James' cheek before squeezing her hand tightly. She knew they were basically in a relationship, the battle was between labeling it before or after James decided to come out to her parents and it was time for her to push a little more.

"All right." Yellow eyes watched as Addison got in her truck and drove away. James felt a little lost, like no one was up for doing anything and that she was being forced to do something she didn't want to do. Getting into her own truck, she went home. Feeding the fish after arriving, she plopped down on the couch thinking she would be there for the rest of the evening. That lasted all of two minutes before James made for the kitchen and the fridge where she knew the beer was. Popping a bagel in the toaster, she grabbed a bottle of the local brew and twisted the cap off tossing it into a black mug. She kept them for her mom and her crazy art projects. Taking a long pull, she heard the toaster sound and sat down at the coffee table with her meal in hand.

Four beers and two hours later, her phone buzzed in her pocket. Muting the sound of the television she answered.

"Hi, is this James?"

"This is she." A long pull from her beer and a swallow later James was still waiting for whoever it was on the other end of the line to speak. "Hello?"

"Umm… yeah… so this might be a little unorthodox, but your mom gave me your number at the store today…"

"Jimmy." She sighed and drank down the last of her beer, immediately regretting picking up the phone. She really should stop answering unknown numbers.

"Yeah, so I guess she told you, huh?"

James didn't know what to say to the man. She honestly had never received such an awkward phone call before in her life. "Yeah, just to put it out there, I'm not looking to date anyone and I'm not looking to date anyone that my mother, in particular, tries to set me up with."

She heard the rush of breath he let out. "Oh good, me neither. I was so worried that you had these high expectations or something." James' lips quirked into a look of disgust while she looked at the beer bottles on her table, perhaps she should be done with drinking for the night. "Not that I mean any offense to you by that."

"None taken." Standing and bending to pick up her trash, she made for the kitchen.

"Good, well now that that's settled. I am still new to town and there's a few months before school starts in the fall. Would you mind showing me around?"

Rolling her eyes, she dropped the bottles into the trash letting them clang loudly. "Yeah, sure, why not? It's my hometown. I'll show you all the good places to hang out."

"Fantastic."

"I'm free tomorrow, but other than that not again for a while. I work long and weird hours."

"Tomorrow works."

"Good, I'll meet you at Joe's, downtown, at eight."

"All right." They hung up and James took a deep breath. So much for time with Addison: her mother needed her back at the house to finish sawing through some heavy wood and now she was stuck going to the bar with a stranger. James hit all the lights and crawled under the covers of her bed as she tried to work out how to spend time with her favorite boss.

Everything was quiet and dark, and she laid there for a long time without falling asleep. When she felt the heat at her toes, she moved them from under the blanket only to find the heat was persisting. She moved her legs from the covers entirely and felt flames lick at her skin. Shooting straight up in the bed, she saw the little girl standing in her doorway. Her dark eyes were unwavering and staring straight into James. The fire that was once working over James' body moved to surround the little girl and threatened to consume her.

"Lily!"

James was frozen. Her entire body paralyzed with fear as the flames spread further and further out in the room. They hit her body and burned the skin. Finally, she started to move. Knocking over the nightstand, she landed on the floor, her hands and knees breaking the fall. Turning, James looked at the door, still seeing the little girl, her body being torched. Lily's skin turned to a dark charcoal color and the smell of burnt flesh ran rancid over to James. "Lily!" She called again and the girl stood still, holding the stuffed bear in her two little hands, clutching it tightly. "Lily!"

"Jamsey?" As soon as the name was uttered, Lily's dark eyes came to life and the tears trailing down her cheeks evaporated from the heat. "Help me." The words were so soft that James almost missed them in the middle of her panic. "Help Addy."

James was startled out of the illusion by hands on her arms and worried green eyes looking over her with concern. James finally made out Addison's figure and she buried her face in her shoulder and started to cry. The smell was still singeing the inside of her nostrils and she tried to breath in Addison's perfume to chase it away. The heat on her legs from the fire that had once been so close was slowly dissipating as she was rocked back and forth. Her lips found Addison's neck and she pressed them softly into the skin.

Addison turned her chin to kiss the side of James' head, comforting the frightened woman. When the seeking mouth found hers, she tried to pull back and protest, but James was insistent. Addison gave in and cupped James' cheeks, deepening the embrace until she felt the body against hers move away. Mewling softly, Addison opened her eyes to see that James had made her way to the center of the bed. Giving in, Addison slipped off her shoes and climbed on the mattress letting her body hover over James. "You're sure?"

"Always." James grinned and Addison saw no more tears lingering before her mouth descended to her lover's. She felt the tugging of her clothes and sighed, letting them slip away without any further objection.


	5. Chapter Four

James pushed the dream from her mind and ignored Addison for the rest of their time off. Two very silent days had passed. Addison finally left late the morning of the first day, because of the silent treatment James was giving her. She had insisted on staying the night, and James couldn't have cared less who was there, so long as someone was at the time. That night, James went out with Jimmy and caught up with Max a few hours later: he had joined them at her favorite bar downtown. Jimmy was decent enough; she would be willing to get together with him again before he lost himself to his studies. Jimmy had the ability to make her laugh, which was hard and after her frightening dream it was appreciated.

Stalking into the station at fifteen to six on Friday morning with little to no sleep was not the best experience. Addison was already there, and completely chipper that early in the morning. The woman lived on coffee; James couldn't understand how she drank so much of it. Max and James carpooled in, but he was only there for two days and then she was on her own. Grumbling to herself, she sat through the shift change with her jaws clenching and made her way to the racks to try, once again, for some shut eye. That lasted all of five minutes before the Chief came in and shook her arm.

"How are you doing?"

"I'm fine." James turned onto her back despite not wanting to. She would really prefer to be left alone. "Thanks, for the other night. Not sure I remembered to tell you that."

"Anytime, don't think of it." Addison let her fingers slide over James' face and over her hairline, not very subtly checking to see if there were any remnants of the goose egg James received three days earlier. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Biting the inside of her lip, James took a risk that she rarely ever did. "It was only a nightmare… but it seemed so real."

"Are you sure it was only a nightmare?"

James narrowed her eyes studying the woman carefully. "Yeah… what else would it be?"

"Suppressed memory, special connection to whoever the dream was about, a warning… who knows there are quite a variety of things that it could be." Addison drew in a breath and let it out slowly, her eyes tracking James' movements and her body following James' emotions.

"A warning…?" James had her interest peaked, even if she didn't believe in all that supernatural, tinky woo-woo stuff, she wasn't going to discount what the Chief had to say. And Lily had told her to help Addison.

Addison swallowed. "Yeah, like your subconscious telling you that something bad was going to happen."

"It was so vivid." James closed her eyes and she could still feel the flames licking at her skin. "I don't think I've ever been that scared before. And Lily… she was just standing there like nothing was wrong and then she talked to me… she asked for help."

Addison set a hand against James' thigh and let her focus on the touch before speaking. "Lily? You were dreaming about Lily?" Addison's back immediately straightened and her jaw clenched tight. Her mind whirred in a frenzy and it made James feel like she was on the edge of a precarious cliff.

"Yeah, it's not the first time that it's happened, you know that." James noted the worry set in the lines of Addison's face, but then was lost in her own little reverie of the dream, reliving each moment. Usually she forgot dreams, even nightmares, but this one was far too striking.

"You never told me she spoke to you." Addison moved closer and her hand slid up to cup James' jaw, her green eyes stared into honeyed ones. "Tell me exactly what you saw." As James recounted the dream, Addison could see it play across her vision as if she had been the one dreaming. The emotions and fear that James felt became almost too much for her, but soon enough the tale was over, and she was left with a cold sweat lingering along her spine. Pulling away, she tightened her lips into a line and sat back, her hand on James' arm. It had been a long time since she'd done that and she was feeling light headed. "What did she look like?"

"Who?"

"Lily. Did she look the same as she did all those years ago?"

Thinking for a moment, James had the realization Addison had already seen. "No, she was older. Her hair was longer. She was definitely older. Four or five—that's what she'd be now. That's weird."

"Probably not as strange as you think." Addison closed her eyes and gripped James' wrist tightly. She was swaying back and forth, unable to control the movement. James sat up and steadied Addison's weak form.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just a dizzy spell… it's nothing."

Not quite believing her, James slipped from the bed and tactfully laid Addison down where she had been. Her eyes scanned the pale and sweat ridden face, her fingers sliding to her wrist to check her pulse and her mind working overtime. "Addison."

"Just give me a minute." Huffing out the words, she closed her eyes not wanting to see the worry on her lover's face. "I'll be fine in a minute." She spoke softly that time, hoping she could calm the nerves she felt running through the other woman. The connection she had initiated to see James' dream always lasted longer than she intended.

"What happened?"

"It's nothing, I promise. Just over taxed myself."

James took her word for it, but didn't really trust her. It was only seven in the morning and Addison was not someone who did too much, too fast. Ever. Two minutes later, a pale pink color returned to Addison's cheeks and she was sitting up without feeling like she was going to topple over into oblivion. "You should rest."

"Really, James, I'm fine." To prove her point, she stood up and spun in a circle with her hands out and a smile on her face when she turned to James again. "See?"

"Okay." James took a deep breath and rolled her eyes.

Addison looked around the room quickly before leaning and sliding up onto her toes pressing her lips firmly and quickly to James'. "Go play with the boys, eat breakfast. You've been cooped up in your house by yourself moping far too much this weekend." With a smirk on Addison's lips, both women exited. James headed for the dining room where everyone was stuffing their faces with eggs and bacon, while Addison made for her office.

Sitting in her chair after shutting the door, Addison took a deep breath and ran through the list of people she could call. Her cell was slipping through her fingers as she debated. The small device slipped back and forth from one end to the other: use contacts she had through the department, or use her "other" contacts. Deciding, she finally slid the lock and dialed. "Deputy Taylor."

"Hey Heath."

"Addison, I didn't expect to hear from you so soon, you left in quite a hurry the other night."

"Yeah, an emergency came up. It was great seeing you again, though." She was aching to get over the formal chitchat they were making, but it was always necessary, especially when requesting a favor as large as the one that she was about to make. "We should do it again."

"When are you off next?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Monday."

"Hmmm, I'm working Monday. What about Tuesday? We can do a late lunch."

"Sounds good." She was gnawing on her cheek and fiddling with a pen. Tossing the writing instrument aside, she started. "I have a favor I need to ask you."

"Shoot. Anything for you, babe."

Cringing, Addison ignored the false endearment. "I need some information on a kid. She was involved in a fire two years ago and I need to find out where she's been placed."

"Placed?"

"Yeah, both her parents died in the fire. She'd be four or five now; I'm looking up her exact birthday from our records." She started typing on her computer. "She was put in the system, but I need to do a follow up."

"A follow up, from a fire that happened over two years ago. If that's not fishy, Addy, I don't know what is."

She rolled her eyes as soon as she pulled up the records and leaned back in her chair. "I know it's not something that you're supposed to do and that I shouldn't be asking. But it's really important. The girl could be in trouble." If all else failed with Heath, she knew she could pull this card and he would do it for her. Two years was a long time to not talk and she had good reason for leaving, but this was a child's life and she hoped he would see that.

"All right. What's her name?"

She could hear him typing in the background and was hoping that he'd find some information. "Alyssa Stanton. Birthday is April 7, 2008." Pausing, she waited to see if any information came up. He cleared his throat and she could hear a shuffling as he adjusted the phone that was pressed to his ear. "Find anything?"

"Hold on." A few more clicks and then she heard him humming. "Seems that there is open case with her name on it. CPS was called because of a disturbance at the house."

"What kind of disturbance?" Addison could feel her chest muscles tightening and her breathing became far more difficult. She really hoped it wasn't what she was thinking.

"Nothing more than a domestic. Which could mean just about anything."

"Okay." The next question she knew he would have a hard time answering for her, but she needed to know. "Do you have her placements address?"

"Addy…"

"I know, but… I just have a bad feeling. I won't do anything rash, I just want to drive by and check up on her."

"I can't do that. I really can't, Addison. Do you know how much trouble I could get in? I only just started here. I can't have this on my record already."

"You're right, you're right." Addison looked at the pen she threw onto her desk earlier, debating whether or not to pick it up again. Reaching out, she gripped the cheap plastic and squeezed before spinning it end on end between her fingers. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"It's okay. I know how emotional these things get for you and that you have a hard time dealing with the fallout." Grinding her teeth, Addison let it drop. She had no intention of starting an argument she would never win, but it reminded her of why she hadn't talked to him in two years. She was just about to speak when his voice spilled over to her. "I've got a call, but I'll see you soon and hopefully not in the field."

"Yeah, talk to you later. Thanks again, Heath." Ending the conversation she pursed her lips. Listening to the loud voices outside her shut door, she could still feel the unease seeping off the sole woman out there. Being intimate with the person she used her gift on always worsened the effects of the connection, never eased them. They lasted hours longer than they should have and led to lingering emotional repercussions. Thinking quickly, she dialed another number.

"Addison! You need to call more often, this is completely unacceptable." The light tones of the high voice set Addison at ease and she found herself unconsciously smiling at him. "You won't believe what's been going on around here. Apparently some dude is trying to capture the boss-lady and has been putting out threats like none other. It's crazy around here. There are new things showing up every day."

"Rob—"

"It's like everyone is running around with their heads cut off—"

"Rob—"

"What?"

He finally stopped talking for two seconds and Addison had a moment to interject. She licked her lips saying, "I need you to find a kid for me."

###

Addison had the information in her hand less than twelve hours later: the address and the names of the foster parents. While she hated using certain contacts, she had felt it had been necessary to protect the safety of the girl. Taking her work truck, she started to drive around the neighborhood where the girl was located. It was close to dinner, so she was sure the family wouldn't be out doing anything. Addison could only hope that they weren't on vacation. She stopped at the end of the street, pulling out the picture in the file that Rob sent her and stared at the beautiful child. Her hair had certainly grown to the length in James' dream, and yet her eyes were jarringly dissimilar to James' dream. They were still a dark brown like James had seen, but it was as if the girl had no soul. She was staring blankly at the camera with no emotion on her features and her jaw set in a constant line. Addison shuddered and put the picture away.

Pushing the truck into gear, she started down the street slowly, pretending as though she was doing a routine check of the neighborhood, not that anyone would notice. Her eyes only had one destination. The yellow house that sat on the corner of the block with a white minivan in the driveway, red curtains in the windows, and a very unexciting short, white picket fence in the front yard. Addison's eyes scanned each window until she came across Lily. The girl was staring directly into the vehicle and Addison had shivers that tingled against her back. Biting her lip, Addison made sure to lock eyes with Lily until her small body was picked up roughly by a man who Addison assumed was her foster father.

Lily turned to him as he held her out from his body. If Addison didn't know better the move would be a loving one—a father holding his child close, looking her over, seeing her perfection only to tell her she was loved. But that's not what this was, and Lily remained impassive. She was set at the dining table and a plate was put in front of her. There was a television on in the background as the two adults and four children sat around the table and said a prayer. Lily was staring directly at Addison once again. She waited until Lily's name was called and her line of focus broken. Taking off, Addison returned to the station for the evening meal. It was Friday night and there would no doubt be a few calls about local college students, even if it was summer.

The table was set and Max was behind the oven pulling out his famous baked chicken that everyone loved. Since he was taking off early, he volunteered to cook dinner to make up for his absence. There was little complaint. James was winning her newest round of the car racing game against Collins and there was quite a bit of shouting when Addison came up the stairs. She dropped her bag in her office and made for Max running a hand down his arm. "Need any help?"

"If you want to make the salad, that'd be nice." Addison was grateful for something to focus on and she got out the greens and started to shred the lettuce the way she knew James liked it. It was handy being around men the majority of the time, as they rarely noticed certain things such as the way to make a salad to impress the girlfriend who happened to have particular tastes. The leaves were cleaned with water and then dried before being pressed into a bowl.

Taking out the spinach from the fridge, Addison repeated the process. The roaring of voices started and she assumed James had been bumped up to the next level in the gaming chart, as it was so aptly called. Some of the boys were whining about her win and others were congratulating her. Slicing up tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers, she tossed all the items into the bowl. Taking tongs, she started to mix.

"Dinner's almost ready," calling out to the crowd Addison set the salad filled bowl onto the table and went back for the side dishes Max had already made. Sweet potato mash—which was one of her personal favorites—and corn on the cob fresh from the farmers market, she assumed. All hands sat and started to chow down on the food after the quick mandatory prayer from the Chief.

It was hours later and well into the night when they received their first call. It wasn't even midnight and already there was a student passed out drunk at one of the local pubs that needed medical assistance. Addison sent one engine knowing the medics would arrive quickly and take over the case. She was left with one trainee and the rest regulars. They were arguing over a recently released movie that she didn't have time to see. It was something about sparkly vampires and it made her smile even though she had no idea what they were talking about. James would know though; Addison would have to ask when she got back.

Upon her crew's return, the majority started their nightly workout as the rest went back to the video game. She really shouldn't have agreed to let the game enter the station house, but they had been so insistent and promised it wouldn't take over. At the time she couldn't see any harm. The only problem was that instead of working out some of the people were playing the game, which soon they would discover wouldn't cut it. Physical fitness tests were coming up the next month and Addison was positive Collins would have to be put on probation; sadly one of the other in question was Max.

Hours and mountains of paperwork later, Addison was laying in the quiet room the beds were located in staring out the window at the far end of the wall. She couldn't sleep. It was if she was waiting for something to happen without knowing what it was. There was a disturbance in her usually even keeled life and it was making ripples far bigger than she expected or could deal with properly. When the bell and radio sounded, she was happy for the distraction. That was until she listened.

House fire. 2847 Oxford Avenue. Six residents. All engines requested.

Charging down the stairs, Addison grabbed her gear and made for her truck as her coworkers and employees copied her moves. There was no lag because of sleeplessness, and there were no moments of pause to yawn. Everyone was up and ready to go in an instant, and the two engines were out of the garage in a minute eighteen flat. She was proud.

The lights on the vehicles parted the seas of the cars in their way as she followed closely behind until they found the house. It wasn't hard to do actually, just follow the smoke in the sky and the unnatural glow from the flames. Addison took a deep breath as she stepped out and took charge of the scene. There were already police on location and she had to shove them off to do crowd control while her people moved in to put out the flames.

Two firefighters entered the burning house only to come back with nothing other than scorched and dead bodies. Setting the dead on the tarp the medics brought, they started to count them. Addison looked down to see the tiny body of a child and closed her eyes wishing that it could be something else. Max radioed quickly to her, "I don't think there's anyone else."

"Neighbors said four kids, two adults. There's only two of each."

"It's too hot." She watched him emerge through the wide open front door with Horace close behind. They exited and made their way to the back of the medic's vans to be checked out. Addison was bouncing in her shoes and staring at the house that was still flaming. There was little that she could do but wait. The building was a complete loss. She glanced at James who stood beside her, her eyes glued on the house.

James had her helmet and mask on and looked directly at Addison. "She's in there."

"Who's in there?"

"Lily."

Addison didn't blink. She knew it was the truth. Not only because she had driven by the house only hours before, but because she could hear what the girl was thinking, knew exactly what Lily was feeling as she stood in the flames. "I know."

"She's alive."

Addison's eyes grew wide when she realized James was walking toward the building. "Damn it! James, stop!" But James wasn't listening.

She walked straight through the door and into the fiery building knowing that she needed to find the girl. Addison tried the radio, her hand shaking as she called out. She turned suddenly when her voice blared behind her and she saw James' radio and half her equipment lying against the engine wheel. Gritting her teeth, she stared at the door after ordering Collins to gear up and go in after James.

Entering the broken doorway, James' eyes scanned the small house and her heart beat fast. She struggled to see where the rooms were, everything was alight with an eerie glow. Taking few precarious steps, she saw Lily standing just off in the kitchen. Lily's dark eyes were waiting for James and her hands clutched the stuffed bear against her chest.

James knelt low to the ground, her arms wide open and Lily ran into them. Lifting with her legs, she made for the exit and outside where the medics were. Stepping up to the last gurney, she set the girl down, but Lily didn't want to let go. James had to struggle to release the tight grip on her neck. Pulling her mask off, she looked for injuries. "You'll be fine, it's okay."

Lily stared, her form jarringly still compared to the moments before.

"It's okay, the nice paramedic here is going to take care of you." The child's hand twisted into James' and she squeezed her fingers tightly. "Nothing bad is going to happen, it's okay."

The child opened her mouth, raspy and deep words were spoken with a quiet and demanding air about them, "Don't leave me."

James' brow furrowed as the paramedics ushered Lily into the back of the ambulance and she was taken to the hospital. James turned back to her boss and she didn't wait for the lecture to start. Heading the engine she arrived in, she stayed there until she could be taken back to the station.


	6. Chapter Five

Everyone was back at the station, and the crew was lounging around on the couches. The mood was somber enough that James felt as though it would never lift. Five people were dead. It was rare that people died when they worked, and rarer still that it were children. With these five and the two previous that week, the month was off to a bad start. James collapsed against the fluffy couch and covered her eyes, the smell of smoke slinking off her body and into the cushions where it would stay for days.

Max moved to sit next to her, his hand rubbing the curve of her back. Her head was resting in her hands, and she did not want to look up. "Leave me alone, Max," she growled out.

"I'm here for you, just so you know that." He said it every time she lost someone, every time the station was quiet and the mood heavy.

"Nothing to be here for."

Max remained where he was until she drew in a deep breath and it rattled out like she was going to cry. His voice carried over to her on a half whisper. "You were amazing tonight. You saved that little girl."

"She shouldn't have lived."

"You saved her, J. Hold onto that."

James turned to face him. Her eyes were red and tired, her hair smelled, her body had dried sweat all over it, and she glared. "That was Lily, Max. Don't tell me I saved her. She shouldn't have been there. She shouldn't have survived. That house was gone and yet there's not a scratch on her. Explain it to me."

"I can't."

"That's right you can't." She stood up and turned to face him down. "I pulled that little girl from a burning house twice now, in just as many years. That does not happen naturally. I guarantee you that when the arson investigators check it out, they'll find nothing—no accelerant, nothing that started it. That was not a natural fire. She set it, but not naturally… I don't know how she did, but I'm telling you, Max, she set the fire." Her voice escalated to shouting, and when the door slammed open downstairs, she was sure that she was in for it if the Chief had heard anything. Crossing her arms over her chest, she waited as the rubber soled steps grew closer.

Addison rounded the corner on the last flight of stairs, her mind raging at her own people's stupidity. Slamming her foot down on the final step, she looked around until her eyes locked on the utterly still form standing in front of the group. "Matthews. My office. Now." Storming the rest of the way, Addison waited for the woman in question to follow.

Taking a deep breath, James didn't even glance at Max for help. She knew she was in trouble. And she knew that as soon as the professional trouble was done that she would be in personal trouble. So much for dating her boss. Stepping around the couch, James moved to the door and closed it. The brunette was sitting in her chair, already leaning back and staring at James. Green eyes dared James to begin. Holding her ground, James stared back. It seemed as if minutes had passed before Addison gave in and said, "What were you thinking?"

"That the girl was alive and that someone needed to do something."

"You cannot disobey a direct order like that. What you did was reckless, irresponsible and just plain stupid. You could have died."

James' retort was quick. "And she would have if I hadn't gone in."

"I understand perfectly that Lily might have died in that fire tonight had you not gone in, but that is no excuse for you to enter a burning building without proper safety precautions." Her voice echoed around the room and into the hallway outside. Addison leapt up from the chair and was standing at her full height. "What you did was unacceptable. And the worst part of this little repartee, James, is that you know it was unacceptable and you did it anyway." She threw the pen that had been clenched in her fist onto the table, listening as it rolled to the ground below.

"I'm sorry." James spoke timidly after seconds had ticked by. She was honestly scared. She had never seen Addison this worked up or angry.

"You're sorry?" Pursing and licking her lips, Addison continued. "Well I don't think that's going to cut it this time, James. Do you really understand the magnitude of what you've done? You could have died."

"Yeah, I could have." James was going a mile a minute, the rage bubbling from her belly into her throat before bursting. "I know that it's not normal for us to run into fires anymore, but it's what I'm trained to do. It's why I became a firefighter in the first place. Not to put together a broken teen while we wait for the paramedics, but to put out fires and run into burning houses and to save lives."

"How can you save lives if you're dead?" Addison spit out the question without pause. Her voice quiet and serious, she waited for an answer.

The room grew utterly silent for minutes on end, the tension slowly dissipating as James took on the full realization of what she had done. She'd gone in with no radio, no air, and no backup. She'd done what she told herself she would never do. Not begging her weary body to stand anymore, she slipped into the wooden chair that stood adjacent to the desk and covered her face with shaking hands. "I don't know." Moving her head side to side, she let the tears fall. "I don't know."

Addison stepped over and grabbed her by the back of her head, pressing James' face into her stomach and stroking her hair. "Don't do that again." She felt the tears start soaking through her polo as she kept her hand moving softly. "Don't do it again, I can't—I can't handle you doing that again." Addison was shedding tears of her own and James knew that the personal fallout would be far worse than the work related, but this was more than she could handle. The sobs racked through her body, and her chest rose and fell awkwardly as she tried to breathe. Addison bent down and tilted James' face towards her, seeking her lips and kissing her deeply. James responded in kind, her hands bundling into the front of Addison's shirt and her mouth parting.

Running her hands over James' face and neck, Addison reveled in the feel of her soft, but grimy skin. "I'm sorry." The words were mumbled against her mouth and Addison deepened the embrace once more before slowly pulling back.

"Just don't do it again. Please," Addison wanted an answer, she wanted James to agree to never do it again, but she knew in the back of her mind that James could never agree to it.

"I'll try."

With one more peck, Addison stood up straight as the door to her office opened. "What is it?" Her throat was tight with demand and Addison hoped Max didn't see the streaks down her face.

"Just got a call about the girl, thought you'd want to take it."

Nodding, she looked at her phone and the line that was on hold. "Thanks." Max left the vicinity, and Addison turned to James. "I suppose you'll want to hear the news."

"She's fine, there's no news to tell."

Addison furrowed her brow as she picked up the line. "This is Battalion Chief Addison Lee." She listened carefully to the other end of the call and made some non-committal noises. "That's good to hear." Raising her brow, she turned back to James. "Yeah, I'll be sure to tell her for you." Hanging up, she looked the woman over. "So, Lily is fine."

"Told you."

"How did you know? You barely saw her at the scene." James shrugged and felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. Rolling her eyes, she looked down, figuring it would be her mother calling. It surprised her when it was the foster home.

Holding the cell close to her ear, she spoke. "Hello?"

"James?"

"Yeah?" Her eyes glanced at Addison and she mouthed out who was calling.

"Hey, sorry to call. I know you're probably working."

James bit her lip. "What's going on, Whitney?"

"I have a huge favor to ask. I know you're only a respite care provider, and that you are not available for emergency foster care. At least that's what it says in your paper work. But I don't have any emergency providers available so I thought I would try you rather than sending her to a group home… and, well… she's been asking for you."

"You're talking about Lily." James closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath, the air expanding her lungs until it hurt and she was forced to release it.

"Yeah." The relief that could be heard in Whitney's voice was unmistakable. "I'm so sorry to throw this on you. Were you at the call?"

James and Whitney had been in the same school since kindergarten, not to mention next door neighbors until college, and she owed the CPS worker an answer. "I was."

"Was it as bad as they're saying?"

James was surprised that she could still hear the specific tonalities Whitney used. Her old friend was worried and stressed. "Probably worse."

"Oh…" Whitney paused before starting again. "Well, I need someone to take her for a few nights, just until we can find a suitable permanent home for her."

"I'm working." James wanted to say yes and no at the same time, and the internal conflict made her sound angry.

"Yes, I realize this… but this is an extremely sensitive and emergent case. I was hoping you would understand."

James looked at Addison for help, but Addison shook her head, not really knowing what was going on. "Hold on a second, will you?" She waited for confirmation and put her hand over the speaker to talk to her boss. "She wants me to do emergency foster care for Lily."

"Do it."

"But I'm working."

"Well, you're being suspended, for one. As soon as this duty shift is over, you're suspended for a week. Secondly, you're not going anywhere during this duty shift unless there is a real, real, and I mean REAL emergency." Addison dared James to reject the order. James simply pouted. "Do it. I think it would be good for her and perhaps for you, too."

"That's a strange thing to say." Sitting back and speaking into the cell once again, James answered. "Yeah, I can do that. I'm going to be at the station for the next three days, but apparently not leaving for any calls, so I can take care of her."

"You're a blessing. Thank you, sweetie."

James let out a low noise in her throat at the comment—she hated being called sweetie. Her eyes snapped to Addison. She was given directions on what she had to do as she waited for CPS and Lily to arrive. Once she was done talking, she reached across and grabbed Addison's hand. "Are you sure about this?"

"It'll be good for you, James. I promise. And maybe it'll get Lily out of your system, you know actually spending time getting to know her—you might turn out hating her."

"She's not in my system." James huffed and sat back in her chair. "Means you can't come over."

"Wasn't planning on it."

"Part of my punishment?"

"Maybe." Addison smiled and kissed James quickly. "Go shower… you stink."

James pointed a finger at Addison. "I'm not the only one." She grinned and left the room with a sweet smile gracing her lips. Running into the boys who were still sitting uncomfortably in the living area was quite an interesting moment. They were not expecting her to be smiling, but rather pouting or angry, or something else, but definitely not smiling and happy about getting yelled at by the boss.

Max was the first one to speak up. "So?"

"I'm suspended for a week, starting Monday."

He pulled a double take and stalked over to her. "For that? You're suspended a week for that?"

James shrugged. "Yup, and I'm not going on any calls until my suspension is over. Oh, and Lily will be in my custody for about a week or so. So, while I'm in the shower, you boys need to clean this joint up and make it presentable for when CPS gets here." Max looked around and glared. There were dirty clothes and dishes strewn all over the place, not to mention only a few of them had cleaned up from the fire. "And I mean now. Chief's orders." Smirking, she made for the shower.

An hour passed, and the bell to the front doors of the station house rang. James went down to answer it—the doors were locked after hours. Pushing on the handle to the standard school-style double door, she opened the left side of the double door and let Whitney and Lily in. Immediately, Lily begged to be put down from the hold Whitney had on her and ran to James' side. James signed a few documents, took the tiny bag that was made up of emergency clothes and the booster seat that was brought in. Whitney tried to bid farewell to Lily, but was ignored each time. Lily had her face buried in James' side and it didn't look like she would be moving anytime soon.

Making sure the door was locked, James left the booster seat where it was against the front desk and picked Lily up. "Want some ice cream?" The girl smiled and nodded. "Let's go see if Max has any."

She was feather light and James didn't have an issue carrying the four-year-old up the stairs. What she had issues with was that she had never really heard the girl speak. Whitney said she hadn't spoken the entire time she'd been in foster care. She also reported that Lily had no concrete diagnosis other than being mute or simply choosing not to speak, the doctors were not in consensus. There was also what Whitney called "the oddity", which was that everything had checked out at the doctors. No damage, no smoke inhalation. Nothing. As shocking as that was for Whitney, James didn't find it odd at all. She gave Lily a bowl of vanilla ice cream and watched the girl eat quickly. Half of the boys had gone to the racks and the other half was hanging around the television, watching a recorded baseball game. James had never understood watching recorded sports—the excitement was already gone.

Addison strolled out of her office, yawning until she stopped in her tracks, seeing James at the dining table with the blonde girl. Moving around to the side of it, she saw both of them eating ice cream. "Want to share?"

Lily nodded vigorously and Addison lifted a brow at James. From what the doctor said, he was concerned about Lily's mental well-being, but physically, she was fine. "All right then, where's my bowl?" Lily leaned up and stood on her chair, taking James' bowl and sliding it across the table to Addison.

"You share." Taking the large spoon from her own bowl, she shoved it in her mouth and grinned. Her eyes were no longer cold and unfeeling like in the picture Addison had seen earlier, but they were filled with life and energy instead.

"Okay." Taking the bowl, Addison had a few bites before returning it to James. The child gave her a puzzled look, and she answered. "You told us to share. That means when I'm done, James gets it back."

Lily nodded her head as if she understood and grinned, drops of melted ice cream running down her chin to land on her shirt. "Jamsey likes you."

James choked, and Addison's eyes glimmered. "Does she now?"

"She likes you a lot." Lily nodded and took the last bite of ice cream. It was mostly melted at that point, and she dumped half of it down her neck. "More?"

"No, I'm afraid not. That's enough for tonight." James took the bowls and silverware and set them into the clean sink, knowing she would be cleaning up after breakfast, which she would be making. Taking hold of Lily under the armpits, James swung her around and onto her hip. "Think you're ready for bed?" Lily nodded and rubbed her eyes, laying her head on James' shoulder. Changing her in the bathroom in a closed stall and tucking her in was far easier than James ever suspected. She put Lily in the bottom rack closest to the door and left the door cracked. James sat on the couch and watched as one by one her coworkers headed off to their own beds. She was far too hyped up to even consider sleep.

Dawn rolled around far sooner than she would have liked, and James hadn't slept a wink in over twenty-four hours. Standing and stretching, she made for the kitchen and started to pull out the ingredients for the breakfast that she was going to make. Looking over all the items to make sure she had everything out, she was startled to hear the door creak open. Lily stepped into the room, rubbing her eyes and dragging her teddybear over to where James was standing. Plastering her face into the woman's leg, she let out a deep breath. Kneeling low, James gripped her lightly around the waist and stared into the dark chocolate eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I had a scary dream."

"I'm sorry. Did the scary dream end?" Lily nodded her head. "Is it good now that the scary dream is done?" Again, Lily nodded. "Want to help me make breakfast for Uncle Max and his friends?" That earned a quick grin and a nod. Pulling over the step stool, James set Lily on the top step and lifted a large mixing bowl out of the cabinet below.

"What we make?" Lily dropped her teddy and looked around with curious eyes.

"Egg casserole." Lily made a funny face that caused James to giggle. "You'll like it, I promise." She took the eggs and cracked them open while Lily filled the bottom of the pan with frozen tater tots. Mixing milk and cheese into the raw eggs, James poured it on top and slipped it into the already heated oven. "Now we wait."

James slipped her arm around Lily and threw her into the air before heading over to the couch. Two of the boys emerged while they were cooking and were off doing their morning workout before heading into the shower. James pulled out her phone and quickly downloaded a 'kid friendly' application and let Lily have her way with it. It kept Lily entertained until the footsteps behind them startled James. Lily gripped on tightly to James' shirt and looked over the back of the couch to see Addison's eyes smiling brilliantly at them.

"Morning." She leaned down and pressed her lips quickly to the girl's head. "Did you sleep okay?"

Lily shook her head. "I had scary dream."

"Oh baby." Addison opened her arms, and Lily shot into them, burying her face in her chest. James cocked her head to the side, wondering why that hadn't happened when she talked to Lily about it but dismissed it as the girl emerged, laughing. "What's funny?"

"Your heart goes fast!" She took a finger and poked it into Addison's breast to the beat that she had heard when her face was close enough. "See, fast!"

"You're right, that is fast!" There was a beep behind them, indicating breakfast was ready, and Lily stood. Immediately, Lily ran to the oven, but didn't open the door. When James caught up, Lily's eyes were like a puppy begging for a treat yet knowing she had to wait. James moved over and pushed Lily lightly to the side, so that she could take the casserole out. Setting it on the counter, she watched as Lily regarded it with curious eyes. "I like it!"

"You haven't tried it."

"It smells good."

James shook her head and waited as the crew sat down after setting the table, she would be heading home the next morning to begin her one week suspension. Saying a quick prayer for those they'd lost that week and for the calls they were to receive, they started their morning meal, hoping for a better day than the last.


	7. Chapter Six

Lily had been extremely quiet at the meal and it threw James off a bit. The crew had been called out for an early morning training seminar with the local driver's education class—in other words, don't drink and drive, don't text and drive, be safe—and James noted Lily's change in demeanor once the building was empty of everyone except the staff downstairs. Lily went from being tense and insecure to being giggling and a normal four-year-old. Pushing the oddity to the back of her mind, James decided that they needed to get some toys, especially if Lily would be staying for at least a week. James gathered the necessary items, car-seat and snacks, and set the child's booster seat into the back of her extended cab truck.

The radio was set to a random station that James usually listened to only in the mornings—she liked the hosts. When she went to turn out of the parking lot, the small voice singing Big and Rich's "Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy" at the top of her lungs shocked her. Turning her head, James locked honey eyes with dark chocolate ones. "You like this song?"

Lily nodded and grinned.

"Well, all right then." Turning up the stereo and opening all the windows, she let the music blast out into the streets around them, both girls singing at the top of their lungs. They finally made it toward the end of the song and James was at her first stop light. Twisting back to face Lily, she smirked and moved her hands flat up and in toward each other making a sliding motion with each "Woot! Woot!" that sounded. It threw Lily into a fit of giggles that took minutes to recover from.

They made it to Wally-world in record time. Taking Lily out of the backseat, James set her down and grabbed her hand, holding on tightly. The parking lot was filled, as it always was, but that didn't deter James. They walked up to the sliding doors and Lily stopped, staring wide-eyed at them as they slid open. She didn't budge a step further. James furrowed her brow and knelt down low to Lily's level as the door attendant gave them a funny look and held a cart awkwardly. "You okay, Lily?"

Lily turned her head to the side and watched as a woman exited the store and the doors slid shut. Turning her head to the other side, she grinned quickly and jumped across the threshold planting both feet firmly on the ground. James shrugged and took the proffered cart, setting Lily in the basket.

The attendant smiled at the child and then at James; her weathered voice was soft as she spoke, "She's beautiful."

"Um… thanks," James said before turning to leave.

The greeter didn't stop there and gripped onto the metal side of the cart, making it so James couldn't move. "You are a wonderful mother."

"I'm not her mother. I'm just watching her for a while."

"My mistake." The old lady backed away and put her hands up as if she was defending herself.

James shook off the odd feeling that lodged in the pit of her stomach and pushed the cart through the secondary doors and completely into the store. They went down to the food portion of the store first, and it was then that James looked down and noted Lily had tears running down her face. Sliding over to the girl, she picked her up and held tightly. "What's wrong, baby?"

Lily sniffled and pushed her snotty nose into James' neck. It didn't faze James. "You don' want me."

"Oh, I want you, baby." She rubbed a hand over Lily's back in circles and swung her lightly. "I want you." Pressing a kiss into the long hair, James shifted Lily into one arm and started pushing the cart forward through the aisles, letting the girl have a good cry. God knew she deserved one. James thrust a box of Frosted Flakes into the cart as well as some yogurt before Lily spoke again.

She was whispering into James' ear. "You don' want me. You're not my mama."

James' heart plummeted when the words hit her full force. Slipping two hands around the child's bottom, she pulled away so that she could stare straight into the dark eyes that were filled with hurt. "Do you want to stay with me, Lily?"

Lily nodded her head and wiped at her eyes where the tears were still slowly streaking down her cheeks.

"How about we try this week, and if it goes really well then we can talk about it again. Does that sound okay?" Again Lily nodded and buried her face in James' neck. Moving her back to one side, James continued shopping for food until she decided it was time to head over to the toys. That had been the main purpose of the trip to the worst store on earth—at least that was James' opinion of it; her mother loved it.

Grudgingly, James set Lily in the basket and the child started to sort through the food. James pushed and then pulled the cart to a quick stop. All the contents slid and jerked, including Lily. Lily ruffled her brow and looked up at James, who had a mischievous grin gracing her features. "Why d'you do that?" James lifted her shoulders high and cocked her head before repeating the motion. "Jamsey!" Lily was giggling and frantically grabbing at the edges of the cart, her eyes glittering with the excitement.

"Has no one shown you what these carts were made for?"

Lily bit her lip and shook her head, waiting for the information to be departed on her.

James bent down low and whispered, "Well you have to keep it a secret. You can't tell Addy, all right?"

"I won' tell no one."

James looked around to make sure the coast was clear. Smiling broadly, she pushed the cart quickly and then jumped up on the bottom rung so that they were both gliding across the laminate floor at a fast pace. Lily was laughing and clapping her hands when James jumped off. She did it twice more before they were at the back of the store and the toy section.

She was just about to do it one more time and make her way into the aisle when the double doors to her right swung open and Jimmy stepped out in front of them. James' face dropped, and her eyes looked him over. He noted her immediately and started to walk toward her. Lily saw the shift from playful to serious, and it puzzled her. Twisting her neck around to see who was coming, Lily turned back to James to watch for signs on how to interact with the new comer.

Raising a hand in a wave, Jimmy smiled; his brilliantly white teeth set James on edge. "Hey, James."

"Hi, Jimmy." She held a breath tightly in her chest until he looked down and saw the girl sitting cross legged in the cart. "Working today?" James asked.

"Yeah, my shift is starting soon actually, so I can't talk long."

There was release of tensed muscles in James' neck and back. "Long one?"

"Eight hours, the usual." His body turned to Lily, and he held his hand out to her. "And who do we have here? I'm Jimmy."

James waited a moment to see if Lily was going to reply, but quickly figured that she wasn't. James answered, "This is Lily. She's staying with me for a bit."

"A bit?"

"Yeah, maybe longer than a bit, we're taking it a week at a time for now." She gave a quick smile to Lily, reaffirming that she did actually want her there before glancing back at Jimmy who was giving her a disconcerting look.

"You're a mother."

"No. I'm a foster care provider. I regularly have my respite kids one weekend a month. Lily was a bit of a surprise, but I'm glad she's around." James was narrowing her eyes at him, and tried to decide where he was going with the conversation. "We're at the station a few more days and then I'll be home."

"So, the bar this week isn't going to happen?"

"Um… no." She said shortly, watching as his curly hair that was close to being an afro jingled when he shook his head.

"When were you planning on telling me?"

"Closer to the date. Look, we have a few more things to pick up and then I have to head back to the station. Can't take that much time away from the crew, you know?" She hoped he understood, but she had already started pushing the cart ahead of her. He disappeared through an aisle and the two girls started a toy shopping expedition. Lily ended up with one doll and one princess dress that she wanted desperately to show Addison as soon as they got back. James had to keep reminding her that Addison wasn't going to be there, that she and the others were gone for the day.

Moving to the register, James purposely chose one as far away from Jimmy's as possible, even though she had to wait in line longer. She liked the man well enough, he was fine, but there was something that put her on edge when she was around him.

Lily was passed out with her head in James' lap when the crew returned. Immediately, James shushed them as they came up the stairs. As usual, Addison was the last one up, having returned the rest of their equipment to the storage closet in the garage. Addison came up the stairs and headed straight for the racks. Deciding that it would be better to let Lily sleep in a quiet area, James lifted her up and carried her, following the path that Addison had made. Laying her once again on the closest bed to the door, she shut it completely and covered her and the teddy-bear—that one she refused to let go of—with a blanket.

"How'd it go?" James' voice was hushed, but James wanted to talk to Addison.

"Good, good. I think we scared some kids."

Chuckling, James responded, "Isn't that the point? Scare some kids, maybe more will live?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Addison changed out of her bloodied clothes. She had apparently been the guinea pig for the car accident and the victim that the team worked on. She'd done it the previous year as well, so the clothes had been recycled. "How's Lily?"

"Good, but something's off."

"What do you mean?" Addison craned her neck so that she could check on the sleeping child.

James was leaning on the post of one of the beds while Addison pulled a clean shirt over her head. "She doesn't talk to anyone except us."

"Really?"

"Yeah, didn't you notice at breakfast? That was odd, but then we went to the store and it was weirder. She really wouldn't talk to anyone except me."

Addison shrugged and pulled on the edge of her shirt. "Maybe there's just something special about you."

"And you too?"

"Can't there be something special about the both of us, and it not just be a random or strange coincidence? Like, maybe there's something in our demeanor that she connects with."

James shrugged. "Well it's not because we're women. She didn't talk to Whitney, the families she's been placed with, or the cashier at the store today. She just had this blank look about her. It's kind of creepy, actually." James' head turned, and she looked over at the sleeping form. She'd have to wake her soon for dinner, but with the excitement from last night and not sleeping much, she was sure the girl could use the rest.

"You could use a nap too, you know." Addison was giving her a pointed look and it set James on edge.

"How did you know I was thinking that?"

Addison shrugged and smiled. "Maybe I can read your mind, and hear your thoughts every second of the waking day." Addison bit her lip and bounced on her toes. "Maybe I can hear what you're thinking right now."

"Really, Addy? ESP? That's stupid."

"It can't just be that I know you so well that it scares me some times?"

"Only sometimes? Scares me a lot more than that." James was smiling when she turned to look Addison fully in the eyes. The look turned from flirtatious to desire: Addison's pupils dilating and her lips slowly quirking into a smile. Addison took the last step forward and pressed her body firmly against James', her hands sliding over her shoulders so she could grasp James' cheeks before rubbing their lips gently. James reached back and grabbed hold of Addison's hair that was let loose around her shoulders and tilted her backward slightly, deepening the embrace. Slipping her hand from around Addison's head to cup her cheek, both women saw the flash before everything changed.

The lips that were pressed against hers weren't James'. They were Heath's. They were harder and rougher, chapped, and she felt the stubble against her chin as he parted his mouth and dipped his tongue out. Addison tried hard to shake the image, but it was as if something was pulling it from her memory and she couldn't get a strong enough grasp to hold on to reality. All she succeeded in doing was adding another one to it. This time Heath was sliding a hand up her leg and under her short black dress she had worn. Her body was tense, her mind whirling as she tried to figure a way out of the situation, and she eventually reached down, grabbed his fingers and holding on tight until he leaned in and kissed her deeply.

James pulled back and glared. "What the hell was that?" Her voice was loud and rang through the silent room. Addison opened her mouth to explain, but closed it suddenly looking at Lily in the corner.

Raising her brows in a demanding look, Addison shushed James. "My office."

James could feel the turmoil rolling through Addison as she hurried out of the room. James did as she was told and they both took their usual positions in the room: James with her arms crossed over her chest, and Addison worrying the ring that she had on her right pointer finger. "You weren't supposed to see that."

"Damn right I wasn't. What was it?"

"There's something that you need to know."

"That you're cheating on me? Yeah, kind of got that from what I saw."

Addison straightened her back in response. She clenched her jaw and ground out the words. "I am not cheating on you. In none of those instances did I initiate or even want the attention. We're not even in any type of official relationship, for God's sake. What kind of claim do you think you have on me?"

"For a year and a half of a committed relationship to not be anything official? That tells me something right there."

Addison opened her mouth to argue but shut it quickly. She had no idea what to say in response to that.

James started again, letting her anger fuel her words. "Do you want to be in a relationship?"

Addison sputtered.

"Do you, Addison Lee, Battalion Chief of this damn station and my lover, want to be in a relationship? Answer the question."

"Yes." The word was spoken on a breath and was barely over a whisper. "Yes, I want to be in a relationship, but I want to be in a relationship where I can go out with you. Where I can take you to fancy restaurants, go bowling, and go to movies." Addison swallowed, bolstering herself against what was sure to come. "If you can't do that, then I won't be with you anymore."

"Fine." James knew what Addison was talking about. She didn't need to be reminded that all Addison requested was she come out to her parents. James didn't even have to tell them about their relationship.

Addison backtracked. "Fine?"

"Fine." James lifted her brows and dropped them down quickly, making sure there was an end to the conversation.

"Fine, as in what? Fine as in you'll tell your parents and Max or fine as in we're done?" Addison was on the verge of tears, and she couldn't help the breath that lodged in her throat.

"Fine, as in I will tell them."

The smile that bloomed on Addison's face was the most beautiful smile James had ever seen. "Thank you, I really appreciate it." There was a blush rising in her cheeks, and James smiled back. Awkwardly, they stood there a few more minutes before Addison brought up what she had originally thought freaked James out about. "So you're not curious, at all, as to what happened back there?"

"What do you mean what happened?"

"The images. The feelings. You're not wondering what happened?"

James shook her head. "No, that's happened before. Not often, but it's happened before."

"Really?" Addison cocked her head to the side.

"Yeah. Why?" James moved to sit in the wooden chair and leaned against the back of it, watching carefully as Addison mimicked her move.

"It's rare for someone without training to be able to utilize their gift."

James paused for a moment before shaking her head as if trying to clear the cobwebs. "Whoa. Hold the phone. Be kind, rewind. What? Gift?"

"Okay, I want you to listen carefully. There are people in the world, and right here in this little hobunk of a town called Norwich, who have been blessed with certain gifts. The most common of these gifts is what we call Earth."

"Earth." Skepticism graced James' face. "Okay, Addy, you're starting to freak me out a little."

"I promise. There are all kinds of powers. You were born with one of these, even though neither of your parents have it." Addison's face was stoic and strong, her voice containing hints of urgency. When she saw James open her mouth to speak, she cut her off. "Let me finish. You have the gift called Life. Although it's sometimes referred to as Faith or Heart. Basically it's a glorified form of telepathy."

"You're trying to tell me that I'm a telepath." James laughed.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you."

"You are officially crazy." James made to stand, but Addison stopped her with a hand on her wrist. James jerked away and shook her head.

Pleading and begging was not something Addison liked to do, but she felt it might be the only way she'd get anything across or at least keep the chance that she was so quickly losing. "Please, James."

There was something in the way that Addison's voice wavered and something in her eyes that caused James to give it a second thought. "You're not kidding me, are you? Because you know how I feel about jokes."

That earned a quiet and soft chuckle from the brunette. "No, I'm not pulling a prank."

"Fine then," she nodded and tilted her head up. "Explain it to me."

"It's better if I show you." Addison reached her hand out for James' hand, and waited. James bit the inside of her lower lip as she debated. She did trust Addison with just about everything, so why not this? Sliding her hand out and on top of Addison's, she gave a nod and Addison took it. Squeezing lightly, Addison spoke. "I promise it won't hurt."

"All right."

Addison moved a bit closer and pressed her hand lightly against James' cheek, making sure that her pinky followed the line of her jaw, that her thumb was set just under her eye, and that her pointer finger was pressed up next to her ear. "This is what we call a hold. It's the most common position, although it's not the only one. You ready?" She waited for the affirmation. "Take a deep breath."

The image that floated into James' mind was of herself and Heath, but it wasn't her memory. It wasn't her. She was seeing through Addison's eyes.

They were at a lake shore, somewhere, she knew the place, remembered the smells and the long drive they had to get there. She had been completely blindfolded the entire trip. They were sitting on the rocks, and the waters were coming and receding with the wind. Heath handed her some grapes, and she popped one in her mouth, savoring the juicy flavor as she started giggling. He slid against her and pressed his lips to her in an open kiss that she readily accepted and deepened. He laid her back against the large rock she was sitting on—but the moment changed.

They were at a restaurant in downtown Chicago. James had never been there, but she knew the location and the stop on the train that she would have to get off at to walk the rest of the three blocks. He was kneeling down next to her, on one knee with his hand extended, and a black velvety box outstretched. "Will you marry me?" His voice was soft and full of nerves, but the giddiness that ran through her heart was bursting as she knelt next to him and kissed him hard and whispering yes. She watched as he slipped the ring onto her finger, the large diamond glittering in the candle light.

"What the hell?" The new image was so jarring, that it took James aback. The words were slipping from her lips in pure anger and she couldn't control the sight of the man she was engaged to lying naked in the bed with another woman.

The scene changed so fast that James had no time to breathe. The slap across her face startled her and burned. The skin tingled. She felt Addison struggle to pull away, her body remaining still, but her mind furiously fighting to end the telepathic link. James held on. The grip on her upper arm was so hard she was sure she would have bruises. She was pressed face down into the pillow before being whipped onto her back. Shielding her face from the onslaught of fists, she cowered into the mattress. "James!" Her name carried over to her like it was a whisper on the wind, and she tried to grasp onto it. A fist slid through and landed on her cheekbone as she was torn back to the present by Addison's falling body.

James knelt down and grasped Addison's cheeks lightly, feeling the sweat that was cold on her skin and her heart race. "Addison." James shook her lightly, hearing a moan. "Addison, open your eyes. Come on… open your eyes for me." They blinked open for a second before closing. "Addy, I need you to do this for me. Open your eyes."

"I can't see anything." She shook her head violently from one side to the other. "James, I can't see anything." The timbre in her voice portrayed fear, which was something James had never seen or felt from the other woman. And she certainly felt it ringing through her own bones.

"Deep breaths. I'm right here." She touched Addison's cheeks and her shoulders, making sure that her presence was known. "I'm right here. Just open your eyes, they'll clear up. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep."

"James!" She heard the deep voice coming from down the hall and she panicked. "The kid's awake and she's freakin' out!"

"Damn it." Muttering, James felt pulled between her duties as a care provider for a disturbed child and her duties as a first responder and friend to Addison.

The Chief was still lying on the ground and had managed to get her eyes partially opened. Addison gripped James' wrist tightly. "Let her in here."

"You'll have to go to the hospital, the guys will see you."

"That's fine. Let Lily in here, she's so scared James. Can't you feel it?" James nodded, and issued the order. The door slid open and the girl came in to crouch beside James. Horace popped his head in, eyes widening at the scene before him. Addison sprawled on the floor, paperwork everywhere, James bending over her cradling her head. "I'm fine." Addison called in a weak voice.

"You don't look fine." The quick reply was all it was meant to be.

Addison pulled a face that gave hope to James. If she could do that and think clearly, she was back to recovering. "We'll just need another minute or so, but I'm taking her in to the ER. Tell Max he's going to be in charge for a bit, and can you get her some water, maybe an ice pack?"

"Yeah, sure can do." Horace gave one last look before turning away.

He left the door open and James leaned in closer. "What happened?"

"I don't know, but I have a theory." Addison licked her lips and closed her eyes briefly, centering herself.

"Which is?"

Addison took a quick breath. "You're a bit more powerful than you know and that, what happened right there, should not have happened. I wasn't ready for it."

"Like the other morning. You watched my dream didn't you?"

"It wasn't a dream, James. Sit me up." James helped pull her upward so that she was leaning against the desk, her face pale as a ghost and the sweat still dripping down the side of her forehead under the collar of her navy polo.

James took the icepack from Horace and set it against the side of Addison's neck. "How's your sight?"

"You're blurry."

"But you can see me?"

"Yup." Addison's lips upturned into a smirk and she rolled her eyes, ignoring the dizzy spell it caused.

"Well, that's an improvement." James watched as Lily crawled up close to Addison and plopped herself in the woman's lap, her face nuzzling into her breasts. "She's all right, baby." James lifted a hand to Lily's head and a sudden and complete calm took over the child. "I want you to drink half of this before we're going." James handed a glass of water to Addison. She sat back on her heel when the there was a loud buzzing by her ear. James whacked her hand backward and hit the bee with her fist, cringing when she realized Addison had winced and shut her eyes.

Lily burst out laughing at the face James made. The giggle startled both James and Addison, the latter being the first to speak. Addison's hand reached down across Lily's hair and she gave a quick smile, "What are you laughing at?"

"Jamsey hit a bee!" The words only forced Lily into a louder laugh, and she was clutching at her belly, one tiny hand trying desperately to cover her mouth while the bubbling noise escaped. Addison wriggled her fingers against Lily's ribs prolonging the moment. By the time Lily was able to talk, she was heaving breaths and rolling on her back.

"And what is so funny about a bee?" James' voice slid through the air.

"Nothing." Lily was holding both hands to her mouth trying to stop the giggle from erupting again.

James moved in to take over for Addison and ran her fingers over Lily's stomach tickling her. "Well then," she was dodging feet and arms, "I'll just have to call you bumble bee from now on."

"It was a honey bee."

James stopped suddenly, staring at Addison. "What?"

"It wasn't a bumble bee, it was a honey bee."

"Uh huh…" James made a face at Lily before echoing the smile on Lily's lips.

"You know," Addison's voice was somber and the mood in the room shifted. "They're not going to find anything."

"It doesn't matter, and both you and I know that." Addison nodded and slowly drank the water. When she felt up to it, two of the guys lifted her up and half carried, half let her walk down to James' truck. James took Lily and a bag she made up with snacks, and left for the emergency room.


	8. Chapter Seven

"They're not finding anything wrong." The words slipped through James' brain like a whisper on the air in the busy emergency room. A few of the paramedics had seen her sitting in the waiting room and stopped to ask what was going on—they knew her from work. They were especially curious since she had the girl whose picture was posted on every newspaper and television station as "the girl who survived not one, but two house fires". Lily was munching on some of the snacks that James brought along for dinner, because they were missing dinner at the station. Addison's voice broke her concentration once more. "Really, could you just come back here?" 

James looked around the room searching for the origin of Addison's voice. That was when she heard the giggle.

"I'm talking in your head silly, telepathically. I'm tired of waiting. Will you come sit with me? Bring Lily. I want to see her."

Screwing up her features, nose scrunched and brow furrowed, James looked at Lily who didn't seem to notice anything amiss. "Want to go check on Addy?"

"Uh huh." Lily nodded her head, the curls at the ends of her hair bouncing from the movement. They packed up the bag James had brought and moved through the halls, finding the curtain Addison was hiding behind. She had an IV in her arm, just in case she fainted because she was dehydrated, and was lying on the gurney like it was any other ordinary day.

"So…" James put Lily on the bed, and she sat at Addison's feet, pulling out a coloring book. "The talking thing… everyone can do that?"

"No, well yes, but no. It has to be initiated by or with someone who has the gift of Life and the person who doesn't have the gift of Life can only hear, they cannot respond."

"But I responded."

Addison smirked. "Yeah, you did. Kind of." She smiled and held her hand out for her lover's. James sat in a nearby chair after tugging it closer and held Addison's hand. "You didn't know that you did, did you?"

"How do I—"

"Think very hard about what you want to say and the words will just happen." She was smiling again before her face turned into a scowl.

"What I want to say…" James trailed off as she thought and smiled at Addison evilly. She watched as Addison leaned over to look at what Lily was drawing and thought the phrase that quickly came to her mind. Repeating the words over and over again, she watched as Addison grasped her chest and started to choke and glare at her.

"James!"

"What?" James shrugged and grinned before she blushed. "It was just a thought."

Addison glanced to Lily who was happily coloring before telepathically speaking with James, "Telling me that being in this bed is a turn on and that you want to bend me over the mattress is not what I expected you to say."

"What did you expect me to say?" James asked out loud and innocently.

"Not that," Addison answered and turned her eyes as the curtain to her little cubical of a room, if it could be called that, was pushed aside.

The doctor had finally arrived. He opened stepped inside the curtained area and took a second when he realized that there were more people present from when he had left. "This is James and Lily," Addison added by way of introduction.

"Right." He flipped through her chart quickly. "Well, everything seems to come back normal. I'd say lots of fluid, some rest, and you'll be as good as new tomorrow."

"Exactly what I told James."

"Protocol," James grumbled soft enough that she knew the doctor couldn't hear her.

"Right, well, there will be a few more tests that will come back tomorrow, but I see no reason why you can't leave." He finally looked at the woman in the bed, his eyes scanning her. "I'll get a nurse to come remove the IV for you."

"Thanks." Addison rolled her eyes as he left and tapped her foot up and down so that it rubbed along Lily's leg. "What are you doing, pretty girl?"

"Coloring." She said it like it was an obvious answer, which it was, but Addison didn't mind. "I made Snow White pretty. See?" She turned the paper around so that Addison could see the red and yellow scribbles covering the black outline of the cartoon.

"That's really good! It's beautiful Lily."

An hour later, they were finally driving back to the station. Upon returning, they discovered one of the engines was gone along with half the crew. Looking at the open call sheet and talking to the remaining firefighters, Addison was able to determine why part of her team was missing. Drunken party at a sorority and a passed out teenager, most likely cause was alcohol poisoning. The engine should be back within the hour. Addison was glad for the distraction, her head was still reeling and she still felt all the emotions that slid off James. It wasn't long before James had finally passed out, as had Lily who was cradled tightly in James' arms. Addison was enjoying the moment of silence as it ushered over her and the station house.

That was until the crew returned. One more day was all Addison had to endure, and then she would be off for three fantastic days and would spend them in utter silence. Although, she suspected that James would call. Addison had asked James to stay around while Max was gone because they needed the extra hand, but it was the slowest day they probably had ever had. Absolutely nothing was happening, as it rarely did on Sunday mornings, afternoons, evenings and, for sure, Sunday nights. Addison let James head off early Sunday evening so she could skip the shift change and head home for proper rest with her foster child. Filing the paperwork for James' suspension, Addison waited for the call from the Lieutenant Chief, her immediately supervisor, to discuss the weekend's events. What it would be like to work only Monday through Friday and normal business hours, she would never know and she honestly had no desire to find out. Her shift was almost over and James was already gone, there was little else for her to do.

###

Monday morning, James woke up in her house with the girl curled at the bottom of her queen-sized bed. Furrowing her brow, she looked over and sure enough, Lily was tightly wound into a ball and sleeping on top of the covers at the foot of her bed. Picking her up, bringing her to the top of the mattress, and slipping the cover over her body, James decided to experiment with her gift. Closing her eyes, she thought as hard as she could of Addison. She pictured Addison standing in front of her in the little black dress that she'd worn no less than a week ago and the smile on her face when she was truly happy: the way her eyes crinkled and her lips curled.

"It helps if you say something and don't just think about me in a short little dress which apparently you found far sexier than I thought you did. I'll have to remember that." James practically jumped out of the bed when the words echoed loudly through her head. "Calm down." Even though the words were serious, the giggling behind them betrayed Addison's amusement at the situation. "Yes, I would love to come to dinner tonight, at your parents."

"But I didn't say anything to you."

"Sure you did, and quiet, Lily is sleeping."

James felt bewildered, like maybe she shouldn't have tried this at all. She held a breath tightly in her chest and twiddled her thumbs.

Addison answered her without being spoken to by James. "Don't worry, you're doing fine. Just think of what you want to say—in your head—and I'll hear it."

"Well how do I keep you from hearing other things?"

"That takes practice."

"How much practice?"

"A lot, and even sometimes people can't keep certain thoughts away. But I have a feeling you'll figure it out quickly enough. You're not one who likes other people knowing what you're thinking."

"Right. So dinner?"

"I already said yes."

"Oh… yeah." 

Addison was quite impressed with how quickly James had gotten the hang of communicating telepathically. It was rare that anyone caught on so rapidly. "See, you're doing great. Oh hey, do you want me to take Lily for a bit tonight, so you can talk to your parents in private?"

"How did you—oh, never mind. Yes, I don't think it'll be nice to have you around when I talk to them about… certain things, but I want you there for after I talk to them." James looked over to see Lily starting to stir. "The kid's waking up."

"Well, you better go then."

The connection was dropped instantly; James could feel it, or rather the lack of it. It was like the warm presence she'd conjured in her mind was no longer there. "Well, I guess this will be the test to see if Addison really is crazy and is dragging me down with her, or if I just had a complete conversation with myself in my head." She was speaking to the empty room. Bringing herself to stand as the girl slowly woke, she mentally bolstered herself for the day. She was coming out and she was coming out big. Now all she had to do was figure out what to say.

###

Addison and Lily had just left the house, heading to the park, and James' heart was pounding. Her mother was staring at her, eyes scanning her face as they sat across the table from each other. "You okay, sweetheart?"

"Yeah, mom, I'm fine." James glanced at her father.

Cameron clucked her tongue and rose, putting dirty dishes in the dishwasher after rinsing them. She hummed before beginning, "You know I don't like that girl. Why do you insist on bring her over here?"

Grinding her teeth, James took her time answering. The opportunity was there, the opening was given, she had to grasp on and take it. She didn't know if it would ever come again. Drawing in a deep breath, James glanced down at her hands and didn't dare raise her eyes to her mother. "I'm dating her."

Silence, strained and thick with emotion, greeted her.

"You're what?" The words were whispered so softly, anger surrounded the edges. Cameron's eyes swiveled around to stare at her daughter.

"Addy and I are dating, we have been for quite a while and I figured it was about time you knew about us." James picked up her plate and brought it to the sink, two pairs of eyes staring at her. "I know she's my boss and that I shouldn't be dating her, but I don't care what you think—"

"Give me a second." Cameron's voice echoed.

James waited for what seemed like a whole five minutes in complete tension and awkwardness before looking at her father. He was staring directly at her, his face passive. She had no idea how to read him when he did that. "Daddy?"

"So long as you're happy, baby doll." He left the sentence hanging; let her assume that her happiness was all he cared about.

Smiling, tears sprung into James' eyes. "Mom?"

Cameron didn't answer. Balling the dishtowel that was close to her reach, she flung it at the counter and left the room with anger boiling in her wake.

"Mom?" James took a step toward her retreating mother only to be stopped by a hand on her arm.

"Leave her be for a bit."

James looked at her father warily, "But—"

"Just give her some time, James." He pulled his daughter into a hug. "She needs to absorb and think. I don't think she was expecting that."

"And you were?"

"A bit." He smiled. Her father was always short on words, so she took every one of them and filed them away. "So long as you are happy, that's all I care about." James nodded and wiped her eyes.

An hour later, the three women were piled into James' truck. "Well that went swimmingly," James spoke sardonically in the front seat as Addison drove back to her house. They hadn't seen her mother since her exit and James was worrying her bottom lip.

"Well, Lily and I had a good walk and play at the park, at least." James snorted and took the slight hint that the girl was in the backseat and probably listening in on the conversation. "You said the Social Worker is coming tomorrow?"

"Yeah, to check-in on how we're doing." James twisted her neck around to see Lily playing with the door lock. It was good thing she remembered to flip the child lock on before she shut it.

"What time?"

"I think she said just after lunch. Are you staying tonight?" James barreled through to the question that was weighing on her mind.

"Would you like me to?"

"God, yes." James turned to look at Addison, her face pressed into the seat and her yellow eyes scanning the profiled form. She remained that way until they pulled into her drive. James held Lily's hand as they made for the house. "I think you wore her out, Addy."

"Hmmm, did I?" She had a sweet smile on her lips as she headed into the kitchen for a beer and James went to the guest bedroom where Lily slept. Addison twisted the cap off the bottle and reclined on the couch, her feet curled under her and her head resting on the back.

James' voice echoed through Addison's mind as she reclined. "You know there's an advantage to this."

"To what?" Addison grinned and took a small pull from the neck of the bottle, marveling at James' ability to control her gift.

"It will seriously cut down on our cellphone bills."

Addison could hear the amusement in James' tone and couldn't help the snort that erupted. "That it will. Put the kid to sleep James. I want you out here."

"Yes, ma'am."

Returning to drinking her beer, Addison relaxed as much as possible. The tension in the room had been palatable and it had worn her out far more than taking Lily to the park. Pressing her head into the back cushion, she watched the moon through the window. She knew it was moving, but it didn't seem to budge from its position.

A little while later, Addison was slowly awoken by soft hands on her cheek and blinked her eyes.

"I think she wore you out, too."

Nodding her head, Addison swallowed, her mind gradually starting to catch up. "Sorry." She reached up and rubbed her face and eyes in attempt to clear the sleep from them. "I haven't been feeling all that well lately. Just tired a lot," she added the last bit before James could start to worry.

"You work too much, but you're good, don't worry about it." James took the bottle that had been clenched tightly in Addison's fist and set it on the coffee table. "Your beer is warm though."

"How long was I asleep?"

"Maybe an hour. Lily needed a bath." She slid back to show the front of her shirt that was riddled with dark, damp patches. "I might have gotten a bit of one, too."

Addison didn't reply, she sat up and kissed James fully on the lips, her hand curled into James' long back tresses and she held on. "Thanks."

"Whatever for?"

"You didn't have to tell them so soon after I asked you to."

James realized what Addison was talking about and closed her eyes nodding. "It was bound to happen soon enough anyway." James moved over Addison's resting body and gave a quick grin before kissing her deeply. Addison lifted her hands to cup James' cheeks and melted into the cushions behind her. Stretching out her limbs, she felt the weight on top of her shift.

"Lily?"

"Sound asleep," James mumbled the words into Addison's lips. "Are you sure you're over Heath?" She moved along Addison's jawline and felt her teeth clench.

"James…"

It was a warning if James had ever heard one. "Yeah, sorry, another time." Addison turned her face and captured the soft lips, her hands sliding down to tug at the damp ends of James' shirt. Her fingers brushed under the material and against the hot skin of James' abdomen before she pulled away slightly.

"Are you sure she's sleeping?" Addison had a niggling feeling in the back of her mind, but she couldn't place what it was.

"Yes, I'm sure she's sleeping." James dragged Addison's shirt up just as both women turned their heads to the door, a sudden feeling filling the pit of their stomachs. "Okay, that's going to get annoying."

"It's really hard to turn it off when there's a kid around. The gift is a difficult one to master, especially after you start playing with it." Addison grinned. "And I told you she wasn't sleeping; you can hear her humming, right?"

"Yes, I can and yes, she's not sleeping." James huffed and sat back on her heels, watching as Addison leaned up and tugged down her shirt. "I give it five more before I go in there."

"I can go."

James turned her head to the side, much as Lily had done at the store days before. "Really?"

"Yeah, why not? I like her, she likes me. You could obviously use a bit of a break." Addison rolled her eyes before pressing her lips quickly to James' cheek. "Besides, if you're that worried about how I put the kid to sleep, listen in." She tapped her temple and the corners of her mouth turned upwards.

"Listen in? How?"

"Oh, I think you'll figure it out." Her voice was sweet and teasing as Addison rose from the couch and made her way into the back bedroom, swaying her hips more than usual because she knew James was watching.

The clock in the kitchen ticked by thirty minutes and Addison hadn't returned. James was starting to grow impatient. She had been unable to 'listen in' as Addison told her to do, although she hadn't worked hard at figuring it out because she trusted Addison with the child.

Standing up, she fetched a cold beer from the fridge and slipped her mouth over the opening, taking a long drag and savoring the flavor as it washed down her throat. It was then that she heard the soft singing. Narrowing her eyes, she looked around the apartment and saw no one, but the tune continued. "What can grow without the dew? What can burn, for years and years? What can cry and shed no tears?" After the lyrics finished there was a gentle humming of the same tune. Moving quietly to the door of the guest bedroom, she propped her ear against the part that was left open and listened intently. Addison was singing. Pursing her lips and heading back to the living area, she plopped down on the couch and continued to hear the sweet melody, the sound not fading as she walked away.

The beer was half gone when she felt the cold barrel pressed against her temple. Her back had been to the door. She'd been so entranced by Addison's voice that she hadn't heard it slip open. There was a breeze floating by her ear of warm, moist air that sent shivers down her spine. The voice rumbled low in the person's chest, but was high pitched to hear. "I don't want to hurt you. I'm only here for the girl."

James glanced down the hallway to the door that she couldn't see and prayed that Addison was listening in on her. "You can't have the girl."

"I don't think you have much of a choice in that matter." His chin was rubbing against the outside of her ear and she could feel the day old stubble on his skin. "Don't move, or I'll be forced to shoot. Stay put and you won't get hurt."

"A non-rhyming kidnapper, couldn't be more creative?" James drawled out the insult as a fist came from nowhere and belted her on the other side of her face. Her neck snapped back and her ears started to ring, but she was sure nothing was broken. Testing her jaw for injury, James wished she could see her attacker's face. But she wasn't going to move. The longer she kept him distracted the more likely Addison would figure it out and get Lily out of the house. "So what are you planning on doing with the kid once you get her? I mean she isn't exactly the greatest kid in the world. Screams, cries, throws a lot of fits."

"That's none of your concern." He said it quickly and dismissively as his eyes looked down the hallway. James felt him suddenly stand straight, the gun against her head moving away slightly before being pushed hard against her skin.

"You shoot her, you die." James would know Addison's voice anywhere, but there was a twinge of fear and determination in her tone that James had never heard before. "I have a gun to your head, the safety off and I will shoot if you do not remove your weapon in five… four… three… two… on—" As she continued counting down, the metal left James' head. James twisted around quickly, in order to move away from her position of vulnerability, and watched as the man lifted his hands in surrender. James moved to stand beside Addison; she moved to face down her unknown attacker.

Addison was scrutinizing his form. Chubby, short, bald: nowhere near what she would think an experienced assassin, kidnapper, and low-down dirty guy would look like. He was far too dirty, physically dirty. There was grime all over his face. "And you work for who, exactly?" Her green eyes were shooting darts at him, and he was skulking under her glare.

"No one you know."

"Oh, I bet I do know who. Was it Jimmy?" When the name didn't register on his face, she tried another one. "Ernie?" Again, there was no response. "Ah, so it was Vincent. How kind of him. Well, I have a message for my dear friend, Vincent. You tell him that if he tries to take this girl again, he won't be getting his little minions back."

The man nodded his head.

"James, take the gun." Addison refused to make eye contact with the other woman; she didn't want to let the man's hands out of her sight before she knew he was unarmed.

"What?"

"Take the gun from his hand." James leaned forward and took the gun from his proffered finger. She held it awkwardly. "You can leave now." Addison still had her hands and gun raised in the air and pointed at him. He backed away slowly. Addison waited until the door was shut before locking it tightly and letting out a breath she hadn't known she was holding.

James dropped the weapon in her fingers on the couch. "What the hell was that?"

"Sit down."

"No."

"James… sit down." Addison turned the glare that she'd given the man onto the woman standing across from her. Once James had planted her bottom on the couch, gladly avoiding the gun that was still resting on the seat cushion, Addison came over and pulled the clip. "I told you that there are quite a few of us around. What I didn't tell you was that are good people and bad people. I was kind of hoping you would assume that."

"Where did you get the gun, Addy?"

"I've always had a gun. I have more than one actually and I rarely go anywhere without one."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want you to know." Addison leaned back into the cushions and closed her eyes for a second, trying to take in all that had happened moments before. "Did he say why he wanted Lily?"

"No."

Biting her lip, Addison glanced at the door that was completely shut with a sleeping child inside. "She's one of us."

"What do you mean she's one of us? Would you just explain it already because these guessing games and blanket statements are getting really annoying?" James fisted her hands into tight balls.

"Pay close attention. There are different types of gifts; I told you that. Lily has one of these gifts. She has one of the most powerful, and she has total control over it. That is extremely uncommon considering her age and the gift. That's why you knew the arson investigators wouldn't find anything. There is nothing to find. There is no accelerant, nothing that started the flames. You are the one who told me that; didn't you ever stop to contemplate why?"

"Well what kind of gift does she have?" James ignored the second question, knowing Addison was right.

"The gift of Fire. Think about it, two house fires for a little girl who miraculously survived both, completely unscathed each time? Not likely. With the gift of Fire comes a certain degree of protection from the heat and damage that can be done with flame. One isn't necessarily invincible, but one is less likely to die." Addison watched as the realization dawned on James. "So what we have to find out is why people want her, and why specifically Vincent wants her."

"Okay, well who is Vincent?"

"Think mob only worse."

"Worse than the mob? For fuck's sake Addison, what have you pulled me into?" James stood up and shoved her fingers through her hair.

"I didn't pull you into anything, James. I certainly didn't mean any harm to come to you. Not all of us are bad. Not all of us belong to those groups."

"But you have connections to them, don't you?" Her look cut across the room.

Addison stopped, the breath hitched in her throat as she debated a lie. "Yes. But we all do."

"No, not all of us do." James growled out the words and grabbed her beer off the table moving into the kitchen. "Not all of us associate with criminals."

"You think you don't associate with criminals? Honestly? You seriously think that? Because I have news for you, James: you associate with criminals." She was standing at the threshold between the kitchen and the living area, watching as waves of anger shuddered through James' muscles.

Taking a deep breath James turned around and smashed the glass bottle into the trash under the sink. "What would you know of it?"

"Come on, James. You think that a person is only a criminal if they get caught?" Addison shook her head and pulled open a cabinet. Grabbing the box of cereal, she shoved it onto the counter. "I thought you were smarter than that."

James glared. She knew Addison was right and she didn't want to admit it. Reaching for two bowls, James pulled them down and set them next to each other. "Fine. Then tell me about the good guys." The cheerios were poured into each bowl, followed by a good dose of milk.

"There are a few groups around, but the largest is based in Wyoming. They have factions pretty much everywhere, but definitely they have contacts everywhere." Addison took a bite, the tension from the argument fading into the background. "You can be a part of that group without really being in it. Just a contact who watches out for trouble and makes certain phone calls when necessary. I used to be rather high up in the ranks, until a few years ago when I quit."

"Quit?"

"Yeah. I'd rather not talk about it."

"I don't think you get an option in that." James' sweet honey eyes were dead set, she wanted to hear the truth and she wasn't going to let Addison get away with sneaking out of any answers and avoiding certain topics.

Drawing in a slow breath, Addison set her empty bowl in the sink. Leaning against the counter, she glanced back at James, her eyes sad and her face drawn. "It was when I decided to leave Heath." Her shoulders were pulled close together, her cheeks tinted red and there was a drip of water that slid from her partially closed lids. "That incident you saw was not the first and it certainly wasn't the last. He put me in the hospital three times before I got the hell out of dodge. Without those 'good people', I wouldn't have made it here. Wouldn't have this job. I'm very grateful to them."

James silently stood to make her way over to Addison. She wanted to comfort her. But as soon as she was fully erect, her eyesight blurred and it felt as if she was drifting on clouds. "Addison?" Slowly, it seemed to take forever, James' eyes lifted to the form in front of her. Her hands flung out to grab at whatever she could, but there was nothing within her reach.

"James!" Addison watched as James fell to the tile floor and cracked her head on the slate, the material shattering from the impact. As Addison fell to her knees next to James, the same happened to her. Her head was filled with fuzz and cotton and she lost all balance. Falling to her side to prevent a similar fate as James, Addison looked over to see black leather clad boots nearing her face and stopping just in front of her nose. It was the last thing she saw.


	9. Chapter Eight

Her head was bumped up and down roughly, her cheek squished into whatever it was that was making her move. Addison slowly opened her eyes, the blurriness still in effect, but she recognized the boot that was in front of her eyes. Letting out a slight groan, she closed her eyes and let darkness and unconsciousness take over her body again.

Having no idea how long had passed between the last time she remembered waking and this time, Addison felt quite disoriented. Her head was fuzzy and her stomach was certainly not happy with her. She was on her side, her hands tied behind her back, and her face pressed into a mattress. There was a movement in front of her, and she heard the cutting of rope before her wrists were thrown in front of her body, her sore muscles protesting. Her mind frantically reached out for anyone who was in the room and she gladly felt James' presence nearby.

Before she had a chance to feel for Lily, her chin was wrenched upward, and her eyes brought into the light. She saw a face so close that she could smell breath before she could focus it. It wasn't rancid, but it didn't smell like Mint Juleps in July either, and with the way her stomach was recoiling, she was sure that even the warm air would set her over the edge. Luckily her head was thrown back onto the pillow and she was finally able to see whoever it was. Not that there was much to see. There was only one light in the room and it happened to be right above where she was laying. The shape in front of her was a mass of black clothes. "Who are you?" she croaked out the words, hoping for an answer yet dreading the one that she would mostly likely get.

Luckily, whoever it was, didn't speak. The door slammed shut, and she heard the electronic beep of a lock before she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, steadying her nerves. "James?" She called out, not getting any reply. Filling her lungs with air, she focused on the little girl and felt her somewhere close by, further than James, but still close. Relief flooded her when she noted that the child was unharmed and not drugged as they had been. "Lily?"

"Addy?" She felt the girl move and come over to stand next to her, petting her cheek lightly. "I'm scared."

"I know, honey bee, I know." Addison kept her eyes shut and curved her lips trying to reassure the girl. "I'm right here, okay? You'll be fine. Everything is going to be okay." Licking her lips, she tried to calm her racing heart. James wasn't waking up and she should be. They'd been drugged the same amount. She would have asked Lily to go check, but she didn't want her to be scared any more than she was. "Did they hurt you at all?"

"No, they didn' hurt me. They hurt Jamsey."

"What?" Addison opened her eyes to see the still figure lying across from her on a similar bed: the mattress was thin, had wire springs, and was low to the ground. Her head was hanging off the edge and her dark, black hair was cascading down to touch the cement flooring. The breaths she was taking were long and slow, but the rise and fall reassured Addison that James was still alive.

"Jamsey is hurt. She's bleeding."

Addison slowly rolled her body over the edge of her cot so that she could rest on her hands and knees. She noted that they had taken her hair tie as well as her belt, jewelry and clothes, dressing her in a simple gown with absolutely nothing underneath. Groaning, she pushed herself up and made her way to where James was lying. Her fingers pushed the limp head up and back onto the bed so that it wasn't hanging awkwardly. Addison was on her knees and ran her hands over James' face and neck to check for injuries. She could see the blood matted and dried in her hair; Addison closed her eyes before sliding her fingers through it.

"Come on James, open your eyes." There was no response and she turned James' head toward the wall so she could check the injury to its fullest extent. The broken part of the skin was small, maybe an inch or so long, but the placement of it worried her. It was at the base of James' skull sliding upward to disappear in the locks. The bleeding had stopped, but she had no way of knowing how much swelling there was or if there were any fractures. Biting her lip, Addison moved so she was staring directly into the face of her lover. "James." She tapped on her cheek. "This is not funny, open your eyes," taking a sterner tone, she slapped James a little harder. "Wake up!" There were tears slipping over Addison's cheeks and she pressed her face into James' chest letting a quiet sob flow through her body.

"Addy, don' cry." The voice was quiet, but close. "She okay, she just need sleep now."

"Yeah, honey bee. She just needs to sleep." Addison wiped the tears from her cheeks and slid down to rest her back against the metal frame of the bed. Her neck tilted against the mattress and the corner of James' knee. She held her arms out so that Lily could snuggle into her embrace. She rocked the child back and forth, slowly humming a quiet tune for hours until her voice was hoarse. "Lily, baby, I can't sing anymore. Can you sing for me?"

"Sing what?"

"I don't know. Why don't you sing me your favorite song?" Addison was nuzzling her face into the girl's long hair and closing her eyes, hoping James would wake soon. They had no sign from their kidnappers since Addison had woken, and she was starting to grow tired of the waiting.

Lily started with the chorus because she didn't remember the verses. Her sweet voice was quiet and lonely as it echoed throughout the cell. "She flew up to Heaven on the wings of angels, by the clouds and stars and passed where no one sees, and as she walks with Jesus and her loved ones waiting, and I know she's smiling saying, don't worry 'bout me." Lily sang through it twice before she decided she was done and buried her face again in Addison's neck.

"That was beautiful, baby." Addison picked up where the child left off, finishing the rest of the song on a low and restorative hum. The door swung open and the light grew brighter, startling Lily and Addison. A tall man walked in with a black mask over his face that shielded his eyes from Addison. He had on a long-sleeved shirt and gloves, pants and dark leather boots so Addison had no idea of his race or what he looked like. He was like a black man shaped blob with no defining features. He looked from one person to the next and then pointed at Addison. She stood and put Lily on the bed behind James making sure the girl stayed behind her at all times. Addison's eyes didn't leave the man. Once she was free of the child, he moved forward and another man dressed similarly came in and grabbed Addison by the arms.

Addison dropped to her knees, letting them carry the full weight of her and struggled to slide her arms free from their grasp. She was grunting and sweating when a third man came in and pulled her back flush against his front. His mouth was against her ear, she could feel the hot air even through the fabric covering his nostrils and mouth. "Don't move. You don't want to scare the kid." She shivered and stopped her struggles, glancing back at Lily who was pressed into the corner of the room. She was standing on the mattress with a still unconscious James at her feet. "That's better." He wrapped his arm around her middle just under her breasts and tugged upward so that he was carrying her. Addison's breath left her when her feet were lifted off the floor and she was manhandled out of the room.

Lily stood staring at where Addison had last been, her eyes not leaving the spot. There was a camera that was set on her in the corner of the room that was connected to the new room Addison had been brought into. She had a full view of Lily. Addison breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Lily was fine, even though she'd gone back to blankly staring and not moving. Addison was put into a chair and her arms were tied to each of the wooden arms of the seat. Her legs were strapped down, as was her head. She took deep breaths and tried to calm her racing heart, knowing she could look over and see Lily any time she wanted to.

The two men left the room, but the one that had spoken to her remained behind. He was very tall, yet burly enough that she wasn't sure she could take him out if she tried despite being in very good shape. "What is it you want?" she asked.

"Nothing really." His voice was low, and he stood staring at her arms crossed over his chest. She wished she could see his face, because staring at a faceless and colorless person had her far more on edge than she ever thought possible.

Licking her lips, she started again. "You obviously want something, so what is it?"

He turned his head to the side and didn't answer. Addison took a deep breath and looked around the room as best as she could. They had taken two hallways to get here. From the first room they'd gone right down the short hallway, and then left through the longer one. This room had been the last door on the right and had no windows, but two cameras set in opposite corners. The door didn't look locked, but she wasn't going anywhere tied to the chair and with the guard standing in her way.

It was a few minutes later when the door slid open and a small bent man came in carrying a tray with a glass of water as well as some medical equipment. He set it on the table that was in the corner of the room and looked toward the man who was standing by the door. He was bald, for the most part, and what he had of hair was gray and extremely thin in a half-circle around the back of his head. His glasses were so thick Addison classified them as 'coke-bottle glasses', the rims were dark and the lenses almost half an inch thick. She watched carefully as the man spoke.

"She needs water so that it'll be easier for me to draw the blood."

Her head turned to the side, knowing that any water she drank wouldn't immediately affect how easy it was to draw her blood. She would have to drink water a few hours before in order for that to be possible. So, whatever trick the man had up his sleeve, she was careful to watch for it. Addison eyed the guard as he stood stoically, listening to what the doctor said.

The guard strode over, after a minute's hesitation, to the tray, grabbed the plastic glass and headed for Addison. Taking hold of her chin, he pried open her jaw with his thumb and forefinger, digging between her teeth and dumped the entire glass into her mouth and over her face. She was coughing and sputtering by the time he released her and stepped back. The doctor was staring at the scene before him, his eyes wide and his mouth slightly opened.

The guard handed him the glass, "Happy?"

"Um… yeah, thanks." He set the glass down and moved over to Addison, who was still trying to catch her breath. He carefully lifted her face up with one finger under her chin and looked into her frightened eyes. "I need to take some blood." She nodded before she felt her mind slowly being probed by him. Throwing up as many mental defenses as she could, she tried to block him out. She heard him think, "Relax. I don't want to hurt you."

"Then what the hell are you doing?" She shot back at him with anger.

He took a breath, picked up a cloth, and he dried her face and neck. "I'm trying to help you. I thought you would like the water."

"Sure, when it's not being shoved down my throat."

His gray-blue eyes lifted to hers carefully. "I'm sorry about that." He finally spoke aloud, "Try not to move, you'll just feel a slight pinch."

Addison watched him move toward to the tray and then back to her with an alcohol swab and clean needle. "What are you doing?"

"They want me to run some tests on your blood."

"What for?" His look spoke volumes, and she knew exactly what he was doing and why. "They have no idea you're one of us, do they?"

"No, not at all." He smirked and slipped the needle into her vein taking three vials. Pulling the instrument from her skin, he set a cotton ball on top and pressed a band aid over it. "I'm done." He took his tray and left, the guard eyed her and locked the door. Her eyes slipped over to the monitor for a moment and she saw James' body move slightly, giving Addison something to hold onto as the guard approached her.

###

Max hadn't heard from James in three days, and he thought it was one of the oddest things to happen. She might seclude herself at times, but she'd always, at least, text him a few times a day. Stepping out of his truck, he shut the door and made for her house. He was surprised to see her vehicle in the driveway along with the Chief's. He stopped for a moment when he got to the screen door and looked back at Addison's truck. "Isn't she supposed to be at the station today?" Racking his mind for the answer, he decided that she was. Drawing in a breath, he pulled on the screen and knocked on the exterior door.

The solid oak door was cracked open and slid inward farther to let him into the house. "That's odd," he stated, the hairs on the back of his neck raising. Stepping into the house, his eyes looked around the darkened room. It was getting to be late in the day, but there were no lights on in the house. He called out, "James?" His voice echoed throughout the house and he was fairly certain it was empty, but he had to make sure. "James?" he raised his voice so that he could be heard throughout the building. Her living room was empty and a mess as usual. Both bedrooms were silent and dark. When he returned to the kitchen, he saw the stain of blood pooled on the ground. Moving over to it, he eyed the shattered slate and started to panic. Pulling out his phone, he called James' mother. "Cameron, hey it's Max. Quick question: when's the last time you heard from James? Monday? Umm… I don't know. I just have a bad feeling. No, no, don't worry. I'm going to make a few more calls and get back to you, okay? Yeah, I promise." He hung up and stood.

He was vibrating with anxiety, the energy running throughout his entire body when there was a knock at the door. The noise made him jump out of his shoes. Moving toward the door, he saw a short man standing outside with a scruffy beard and completely uncombed caramel-colored hair. Max looked him over quickly before speaking, "Hi."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must have the wrong address. I'm looking for James Matthews."

His voice was higher pitched than Max had expected it to be. He kept the screen door shut and stared out at the intruder, not giving an inch. "This is her place."

"Oh, good, I was so afraid that I was going to get lost. Mind if I come in?" By the time the words had left the man's lips, he had the screen door open and was slipping past the firefighter. "Wow, this place isn't in the greatest shape. Addison always said that she wasn't the cleanest person, but she seemed happy so I didn't care much."

"I'm sorry?" Max's brow furrowed as he followed the man into the kitchen where he bent down at the blood stain. "Who are you?"

"Whoops, forgot to introduce myself." He stood and held out his hand for Max, who refused to take it. "I'm Rob, Addison's brother."

"I wasn't aware that the Chief had any family in the area, and I really wasn't aware that she had a brother."

Rob pointed a finger at Max and narrowed his eyes. "You must be Max. She talked about you a lot, was really fond of you." He was bent down low over the puddle of blood and surveyed it; all the while he ran his mouth. "She liked to talk about work a lot. I'm so happy that she made friends here. After she decided to leave the company and start a new career… well, we were so worried when she left. It was such a sudden thing."

"Sudden?"

"Yeah, you know, crazy ex-fiancé and all, but I think it was a good thing for her. And she was able to explore her sexuality in a safe environment, which was completely what she needed. A good woman who would care for her…" Rob trailed off and reached into a satchel that Max hadn't noticed, taking out a pair of gloves, a metal knife, and plastic tube with a cap. "She loves where she works, by the way. She'd never done it before, been a firefighter." His body wiggled as he spoke her title and a smile bloomed on his lips. "She was scared to death her first few weeks. I'm pretty sure that I got a phone call about three or four times a day with her freaking out over something really little. It was wonderful to see her grow into the responsibilities and relax for once. And then, of course, she and James..." His voice rose with his excitement and he squealed momentarily. Rob scraped the blood off the slate tile, setting a small amount into the tube. Standing up, he slipped it back into his satchel. "Bedroom's this way?" He pointed down the hall.

"Yeah—wait, whoa. Stop!" Max held his ground. "Who are you and what are you doing here?"

"Oh. I'm Rob." The short man said again slowly. "I'm Addison's brother. I'm here because she hasn't checked in and we got some intel saying she had been taken by an underground crew."

There was a brief pause where Max digested the ease of the comment with the severity of the words. They did not match and he shook his head to clear his thoughts. "What?" Max was glaring at the little man, his hands in fists and his eyes burning. "You're saying that she's been taken and you're only now mentioning this?"

"Chill, dude. I figured you would have known that bit. You know the signs are kind of obvious. Vehicles in the drive, blood on the floor, door unlocked and tampered with."

Max took a deep breath, trying to keep from strangling the guy right then and there. "Kidnapping isn't exactly a common occurrence around here. Care to explain some more?"

"Nope." He smiled quickly and started to skirt around Max's form but didn't make it far. Max shoved him on the shoulder until he was pressed against the wall and leaned down so that his face was in his. "Calm down, dude."

"You tell me where James is. Right now."

"I don't know where she is, that's why I'm here. I'm trying to find all of them."

"Lily?" Max's stomach dropped.

"Yeah." Rob's eyes grew sad, and he looked down at his feet. It wasn't until that moment that Max realized the man was being completely genuine. "I need to find them."

"Fine. But I'm doing it with you and we're calling the cops."

"Oh, in no way, whatsoever are we calling the cops in on this. They'll only get in the way and get themselves hurt." Rob was insistent as he pushed away from the wall and made for the bedrooms. Max jogged a few quick steps to catch up with him.

"They're cops. They're supposed to deal with this stuff."

"Oh, no, uh-uh, not this stuff. This stuff is far beyond any law enforcement officer's pay grade and, for sure, their training. No, no, that's why I'm here. To clean up my sister's mess again." The man sighed, running through the guest bedroom and finding little—if anything—of interest other than the doll that was thrown on the floor in the middle of the room. "The FBI, the CIA, hell, the UN couldn't handle this type of thing. I'm used to it, not the first time the sis has gone missing, and I'm sure it's not going to be the last that she gets kidnapped. Nope, just have to find her." He'd made his way from the guest bedroom into the main bedroom and opened James' closet. Putting his finger on his lip, he stared at the clothes and dresser that were piled haphazardly inside with no sense of organization whatsoever. "She's really messy. So glad I didn't fall in love with her, Addy is far more patient."

"What are you talking about?" Max was becoming exasperated with this guy and his diarrhea of the mouth. He was struggling more and more each second to hold back on ending the blathering.

Rob turned and looked him over quickly. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Know what?"

Rob tsked and shook his head, "Oooh, I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to tell you." He moved to the bed and noted the rumpled sheets. "If you didn't know, I don't know if anyone does." Shrugging, he moved back to the kitchen and dining area. "A year and a half is quite a long time."

"A year and a half for what?"

"That's how long Addison has been in love with your James." Rob cocked his head to the side, watching the realization slowly dawn on the big guy who pretended he was a thug. "Ah, now you see it." He was grinning. "Dinners, movies, I hesitate to even say… date nights. James has been ditching you slowly for months, hasn't she? Not answering texts or phone calls late at night. You see it. I can see that you see it." He was nodding his head obnoxiously.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yup, they're both fanatically in love with each other. I knew it!" He shouted the last part and moved his arm down in victory. "Oh, I can't wait until Norma hears about this! She'll be so happy."

Max deadpanned at him. "They are not dating. They can't be. It's against the rules."

"Posh, haven't you ever broken the rules?" His body squirmed with the excitement. "Beside, that makes it even better, each is a forbidden fruit to the other. Oh, I love it!" His pitch went even higher than before, and Max winced. "It's perfect, wonderful. Love it!" He said it as though he were singing the words. "Anyway, I best be off. Got to get this back to the lab." He took out the tube with the blood in it and shook it in front of Max's face. "You… you go to work, play normal, and fill in for them." He hummed, "The police will figure out soon enough that they're missing and the reports will be filed and confiscated." He grinned quickly and knowingly. "So… go back to work, big guy." He patted Max on the chest and turned to leave.

Slamming his hand forward, Max prevented the door from opening. "No."

"No?" Rob asked as if he had never heard the word before.

"Yes. I said no, I mean no. You are not leaving here without giving me more information and telling me exactly what is going to happen and keeping me in the loop."

Rob was quiet for the first minute since entering the house, Max was sure of it, as he contemplated his answer. "Fine, I'll keep you in the loop, but you can't come with me. Boss won't allow it." He slipped a card into Max's pocket and skedaddled out the front door, waving as he got in his rental car and drove off. Max took a deep breath and pulled out the card with Rob's name, cell, and email address on it. Furrowing his brow, he pulled out his own phone and made the first call that came to mind: the police department.

Heath was the first officer to arrive, and Max cringed when he saw his car pull into the drive behind James' truck. Taking a deep breath, Max moved out of the doorway to greet the man he didn't want to deal with. He might have been a cop and he might not want to be dealing with this situation, but Max was sure there was something shady behind Heath. Something that made Max's skin crawl every time they were forced to work together. His head was down and he looked lost when Heath made it to the front steps.

"What's going on, Max?"

"Pretty sure it's not good." He looked up and shook his head. "There's blood in the kitchen. The girl is gone… both James and Addison. No one's heard from either in days. Addison was supposed to be at work and James is suspended, but the kid... they took the kid, too."

"They?" Heath pulled out his notepad from the front pocket of his uniform and started to write information down.

Max ran his hand through his hair and ruffled the dark locks. "I don't know who took them, but I'm positive that someone took them."

"They could have just taken a trip." Heath was trying to calm the man, but only succeeded in aggravating him.

Max threw his arm out to point at the vehicles. "With what? An invisible hippie van? I don't think so."

Taking a step back and shoving the notepad back in his pocket, Heath put both of his hands out in front of him. "Okay, Max, I know you're worried and that you're scared, but I need you to stay calm with me, all right?"

"Don't talk to me like I'm an idiot." Max shoved open the screen door and led the way inside. The rest of the investigation seemed to pass by in a blur. Max remembered being asked millions of questions over and over again. Not once did he mention his visit from Rob or the fact that the two women were apparently in a relationship. He hadn't seen it, so he was sure that no one else did. He was dismissed to leave when James' mother pulled up in front of the house.

She was in hysterics, tears running down her face, snot sliding down her lips, and her eyes red and puffy from crying. She raced up to Max and collapsed in his arms. Holding tightly, he made sure to not let go. "It's all right, Cameron, we'll find her. She's going to be okay."

"You don't know that." She balled her hands in fists pounding against his chest. "You don't know anything. She's gone!" Her eyes slid over to the house and she buried her face in his chest. "My baby is gone."

He sat down on the ground with her in his arms and rocked slowly back and forth. "I know she'll be okay. She's strong, she's willful, she'll get through whatever it is that's happening and we will find her. You have to have faith in that." He kissed her head and she nodded.

Heath came over and bent down so that he could look at James' mother. "Hi ma'am, I'm Deputy Taylor, I'm handling your daughter's case. I was wondering if I could ask you some questions."

She nodded.

"All right, well, when was the last time you spoke with or saw your daughter?"

Cameron wiped the tears from her cheeks with a flat palm and looked over the man the best she could. "Monday night, we had a fight."

"Okay, what was the fight over?" He was writing in his notepad again and it put Max on edge. Rarely did James fight with her parents and when she did it was usually an ongoing battle that they eventually stopped bringing up in conversation.

When Cameron didn't answer, Max squeezed her arm lightly and looked down. "What was the fight over, Cam?"

"She told us she was in a relationship. We don't approve of who she's with."

Max clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. He'd known that his best friend was gay for so long that it never crossed his mind, but for James to tell her parents meant that whatever relationship she was in was serious, like going on two years serious.

"Who is she in a relationship with?" The question was the next logical one to ask, but for some reason Cameron didn't feel comfortable answering it. "Ma'am, I need you to answer the question."

She licked her lips and looked from the officer to Max, who was still cradling her in his arms. She shook her head; if it would help them find her then she would have to do it. "Addison Lee. The Battalion Chief of her station."

Feeling the body lying against his tense, Max looked over to see Heath's features harden, his eyes fixed on James' mother and his jaw clench. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. She wouldn't have told me otherwise." Cameron was nodding. "Are you going to find her?"

"We're going to do our best ma'am, but you'll have to be patient. These types of things take time and since it's been three days since anyone has heard anything from either of them—well, I hate to say it, ma'am, but as each day passes the chances become slimmer and slimmer." He stood up and turned to rapidly move away from her.

Max continued to comfort the distraught woman until he felt his bum go numb from not moving. "Cam, we need to move. I'm going to bring you home, okay?" She nodded and he helped her to stand. He packed her up into his truck, asked the closest deputy if they were allowed to leave, and slipped into the cab himself. Starting the engine, he pulled out of the drive and went down the street, turning the corner all without looking back at the house.


	10. Chapter Nine

James blinked slowly, her mouth was dry as cotton and her head pounded like there was a steel drummer using her skull as an instrument. She closed her eyes to block out the harsh light that was coming from above and pushed her head into the rank smelling mattress. She pulled away and turned on her back, instantly regretting the movement. Taking slow and deep breaths, she tried to calm the thudding in her head as it seemed to take over everything. Turning on her other side to face the wall, she felt a small hand on her forehead. It slowly slipped through her hair, making a pattern and keeping it.

Amazingly, the move comforted her. She knew that Lily was okay and safe. She was there in the room with her, and James' head was starting to get a little better as the minutes ticked by. Swallowing hard, she decided to finally speak. "Lily?"

"Jamsey. It's s'okay." She was still petting the long black locks, her voice soothing like only a child could do. "Addy says it's s'okay."

"Where is Addy?" She didn't get an answer, but the movement of Lily's hand on her head didn't stop. James pushed her heavy and sore body upward, so she was leaning hard on one arm. "Lily, where's Addy?" The girl shook her head and the tears started to well beneath her dark eyes. James leaned against the wall that the bed was pressed against and opened her arms so the girl could crawl into her lap. "I need to know where she is, bumble bee. Can you tell me?"

The small head nodded. "The people came an' took her."

"What people?"

"Dunno. Three people." She held up her hand awkwardly with three fingers pointing as straight as she could make them. "They make her go with them. She don' want to, though." Lily's face was pressed against James' thigh while the woman trailed her fingers through the long locks undoing the tangles.

"Okay, baby, it'll be okay." James needed to focus. Closing her eyes, she thought only of Addison. She had no idea how far of a distance the link could be made, but she was willing to try. She thought of the way she smiled, the way her voice sounded, and she hoped that she could feel any inkling of her heart beating.

"James DON'T!" The words echoed through her head as James felt the searing pain in her hand. Addison's finger was bent backwards and snapped in two.

The brunette was sobbing, tears strolling down her cheeks as she held in all the sounds of pain that she could possibly keep in. She didn't want them to have the pleasure of knowing how much they were hurting her, even though she was sure that they knew. The way the guard was breaking each bone in each finger was determined and sadistic. He'd obviously done it before. The salty drops were falling off her chin, and she clenched her eyes shut as he went for the proximal phalanges in her left ring finger. He snapped the bone without asking her a single question and pulled it out of joint. She was wiggling her body as much as she could, her stomach begging release from the pain that was coursing through her body in shocking waves. "What do you want?" she finally cried out.

"Are you ready to talk?" There was that voice again, disjointed because his face was completely covered and he was no one to her. Just as she was probably no one to him.

She nodded her head. "What do you want to know?"

"Will you tell me anything?" He waited for her to answer. Addison hesitated, because in truth she would never tell him anything of great importance. She grimaced when she realized that he had seen her moment of weakness. "I don't think you're quite ready." Taking her pinky, he repeated the process on the last of her functioning finger on that hand.

###

James was crying when she tried to break the connection. She had failed to snap the telepathic tether and succeeded in feeling the sharp pain radiate up her arm. It dissipated after a few moments and she was left with the memory of the torture. She didn't move until the slight push at her shoulder caught her attention. "Jamsey? Jamsey?"

"What is it, baby girl?" She lifted a hand to wipe her tears and stared at the girl, reminding herself why she had to be strong. She couldn't become overwhelmed with everything that was going on. She couldn't dwell on the fact that Addison was being tortured for no reason or explanation and that she was stuck in a ten by ten cement cell with a girl that was only hers because emergency foster care needed help. With a girl who had lost her parents to a fire that she had set because she had special powers. She wasn't in control of those powers then, of her gift; now she was, for the most part. Lily was a girl who had set fire to her foster parents' house killing five souls without so much as blinking. Lily was a girl who spoke to no one except herself and Addison, and she was a girl in dire need of James' attention.

The air got stuck on its way in as James took a deep breath. She had powers, the girl wasn't alone. Addison, her lover, had powers. They were part of a group of special beings on the planet that stuck together because of their unique gifts. And she had no idea what she'd gotten into, but she was damn sure she didn't want to be a part of it. She held the tears at bay as they threatened again. The girl who should probably be in a mental institution with the trauma she had seen and created was patiently waiting for her to answer, and she was completely ignoring Lily to focus on herself. Breathing deeply, James saw the child staring curiously at her. "What is it?"

"I have ta go potty."

"Right… okay." Taking another long breath, James looked around the tiny room. She could do this. This simple task she could do. Her eyes searched the poorly lit corners and she found no toilet. "Damn it!" She muttered it far louder than she intended, and when the child next to her winced, she pressed a hand to her cheek. "I'm not mad. It's okay." Standing up, she carefully made her way to the door, her head spinning and her body loudly protesting the move. Her cheek was squished against the cold metal door and she savored the contrast from her skin to the material. It was saving grace in that moment because she wasn't sure she was going to be able to stand much longer.

Curling her fingers into a fist, she pounded twice on the door. There was no answer. She did it again, harder, only to collapse to the floor on her knees. Using her elbow, she continued the pounding pattern and closed her eyes, wishing that someone would magically appear outside the door and open it. When she opened her eyes, that was where she was standing: outside the tiny cell and in a long narrow corridor. Looking around suddenly, her heart started to race and adrenaline had her blood pumping in her veins. Turning her head to look down the other end of the hallway, she took a step forward with bare feet on the cold and dirty cement flooring.

"Um… hello?" she called out quietly, wanting and yet not wanting anyone to hear her. Looking at the door, she realized that it was the one that Lily was on the other side of. Taking hold of the handle, she started to tug and pull at it, but with no effect. It was locked: electronically. Groaning, she fiddled with the buttons next to the handle, pressing in as many random digits as she could think of with no success. That was when she heard the ruffing sound of shoes against floor.

Turning quickly and pressing her back into the door, she looked for an exit and twisted back to face the door. Instead of the door, she saw Lily sitting before her on her knees staring awkwardly at her face. "Where you go?"

"What do you mean—what?" James shook her head and looked at the door behind her that she was still propped against. She heard the buttons being pressed before it was jerked open and she was shoved off it. There was one body standing in the doorway, blocking anything from the outside from getting in. James looked up from her spot on the floor.

"What do you want?" The low rumble and tone of the voice made her positive that it was a man speaking, although he wasn't burly, well-built, or tall by any means.

James demanded, "Bathroom."

"No."

"It's for the girl." Glaring, James watched his eyes that were covered in the mask as they moved over to where Lily was huddled behind James. "She needs to go."

"Only her."

"No. She goes, I go. I won't try anything stupid, not that I could with this head injury." She watched as his head cocked to the side and he contemplated. His chin jerked up and the door opened wider, revealing another body just outside. James pulled herself up with the help of the handle and held her hand out for Lily's. "Come on, baby."

The girl timidly put her hand in James', and they made out of the room. James leaned heavily against the walls as the two men led the way. They all heard the scream at the same time and James shut her eyes, dragging the tiny body close to hers and pressing her hands over the girl's ears. It was Addison. She knew it. They all knew it. Yet in her mind, she completely denied it. She took another step when she heard the sobbing and the quiet mumbled mantra, "Stop, please stop." The men behind her shoved her forward, and she smacked into the wall, falling down.

Taking her time to stand and gain her balance, she looked at Lily who was staring at her like there was nothing scarier in the world than what was going on in that moment. And she imagined for the child that there wasn't. There was a second scream that echoed and rattled through James' head and chest. She grabbed Lily and started to walk her quickly toward where the guards were leading. The voice grew louder until they were shoved through a door and into a one stall bathroom. James took a breath when she realized they were alone.

Lily made her way quickly to the toilet in the corner of the room and started to pee, the stream of liquid echoing off the barren walls. It seemed like forever, but James didn't care. So long as they were out of the room and so long as Addison wasn't screaming anymore, everything was fine. She seriously needed a pep talk—where was Max when she needed him? Not kidnapped, that was for sure. Helping Lily to reach the soap, she used the lavatory as well. They each cupped their hands, filled them with water, and drank to their hearts content, but slow sips only. James had no idea how long they'd been in the building and without water, but she wasn't expecting any to be given to her in a reasonable amount of time.

They took the last sip when the banging on the door became too much to ignore and she unlocked it. "Finished?"

"Yeah, thank you." She gave a sweet smile, hoping that it might deter anything from happening later and pressed both hands into Lily's shoulders, walking slowly back to their cell. There were no yelling, shouting, sobbing or sudden noises this time. Only silent walls and corridors greeted them. James was pleased, yet worried. Addison worried her.

Once again locked in their room, she found Lily in her lap as they reclined on the cot she'd been originally put on. Her body was rocking back and forth slowly, and Lily was humming a sweet and quiet tune. Closing her eyes, she reached out to Addison, the soft tune of the girl filling her senses and lifting over to Addison's ears. "You don't know how nice it is to hear that."

"How are you doing?" James asked, sincerely wanting to know the extent of the woman's injuries. Not that could do anything about them, but at least she would be able to focus on something other than the dullness of the room and her own panic.

Addison drew in a deep breath, keeping her eyes closed, and her heartbeat calm. "You don't want to know. It's nothing that won't heal with time."

Nodding to no one but herself, James smiled. "You don't feel like you're in much pain."

"Blocking it."

"Ah." James looked down at the blonde head that was against her chest, wishing she knew how to block feelings and emotions. "We're fine, no problems yet. Do you know what they want?"

"Information basically, and they're doing some testing."

"Testing?"

"Yeah." Addison coughed lightly and winced as pain shot through her arm. "On my blood. I'm assuming they'll come take Lily's sooner or later. I don't know if they know that you have the gift or not, but I'm thinking not, otherwise you'd be in here with me." She was coughing harder this time. "How's your head?"

"Fine, I want to sleep."

"Don't."

"I know, thank you for the information." She replied smugly, knowing that she would earn a grin from Addison no matter how much hurt she was in. "Why are they taking your blood? What kind of tests?"

"I honestly don't know, but I can assure you that it's not good." Her hand moved slightly and she cried out before she could control her body again with slow deep breaths. "The doctor is one of us. I'm not sure if we can trust him, but at this moment I don't see why not." 

James pressed her lips to the crown of Lily's head when she realized that the child was sleeping. "How long have we been here?"

"No idea."

"Addison?" The woman only hummed in response. "A little bit ago, something happened. I don't think it was supposed to, but it's something that never happened before."

"What was it?" 

James could tell that the other woman was growing tired and was quickly slipping into her own form of unconsciousness. "I kind of left my body and ended up on the other side of the door."

"You what?" Suddenly, Addison was wide awake.

Repeating herself, James took in a slow breath. "I honestly don't know how it happened, but I ended up on the other side of the door. The outside. I could push buttons and touch things and then all of a sudden I was back to where I was supposed to be, in the cell." 

"That's rare," Addison stated simply. "I've never seen it happen, it's so rare, but I've heard stories of the ability. Only the strongest have it. Don't let it wear you out."

James shifted her legs as they started to go numb. "So it's not abnormal then, right?"

"Oh, no, it's fine. It's normal." James felt Addison gasp as cold water was thrown all over her body and the shiver that ran up her spine. Addison tried to block the woman out further, but was unable to. Addison could hear James saying her name repeatedly, worry lacing each syllable. "I'm fine. Leave, you don't want to know what happens." Begrudgingly, she knew that James had left her, and she was returned to the hell that she had come to be chained to. The unknown and faceless man was standing in front of her, his face so close she could smell his breath along with the ham and mayo sandwich he had just been eating.

Her stomach growled, reminding her that she had been there for a long time without food. Although considering her last meal had put her there, she wasn't too keen on eating again or very soon. Her eyes latched onto the black wire mesh globes that were his eyes, and she glared with everything she had. "You didn't have to do that, I was awake."

"Wanted to be sure." The malice dripped off his tongue.

Addison shook her head and looked down at her left hand which was red, swollen, bruised and had all fingers going off in awkward and disjointed angles. That would take a good time to heal. Her head whipped back to him when he dumped a second bucket of freezing water on top of her. "What the hell?"

He shrugged and threw the bucket into the corner and sat on a stool that he must have brought in with him. "What organization do you work for?"

"I don't work for any organization. I work for the City of Norwich."

"We know that you work for an organization on the side." His hands were pressed to the circular wood seat in between his legs, and she wished her legs were freed so she could kick him hard in the groin. He must have seen the look, because he stood and grasped her left wrist with both of his, twisted until the bone snapped in two. Her voice echoed throughout the room which seemed to encourage him. He pulled on the bones even more until she felt them completely separate. She wished she could pass out from the pain, but try as she might she didn't think it was going to happen. "Who do you work for?" The words were hissed into her ear.

"I work for the city. As a firefighter. As Battalion Chief of Station Seven." Her sentences were short, her jaw clenched, and her molars ground together.

His face was in hers again. "We know that's only a cover. Who do you work for?"

"No one!" she shouted and spat in his face, aiming for the eye but missing. It barely fazed him as he sat back in on his stool and stared at her. She didn't want to give any information, and she also knew that the longer she kept them in the room with her the less time they would spend on Lily and, possibly, James. And this was not the first time she had been in this type of situation. "I used to work for The Gifted School."

She watched as the guard's head turned slowly from one side to the other as he contemplated the new details she had given him. Not that it was much. "No one works for The Gifted School without working for Norma-Jean."

"Well, seeing as how she owns the school and is the primary financial backer, I suppose that's true," she answered him flippantly, knowing that what he said was true. She didn't want to admit that it was part of her life, not that it was a bad part of her life. It was just a time that was done and over with. She was out. It was rare people left without keeping the ties and rarer still that they never went back, but she'd managed it and she'd done well.

The backhand to her face was unexpected and jarring. "I don't want to hear your remarks. I want to hear everything you know about Norma-Jean, The Gifted School, and all of her organizations."

Addison moved her jaw, testing the muscles and working out the sting. "I don't know anything about her organizations beyond the school." Her breaths were coming in short, and she started coughing again, jolting her broken hand and arm far more than she intended. She focused on the pain to stop the racking in her lungs.

"You see, we were getting somewhere." He was sitting on the stool again. "Now, we're not." The doctor returned with a tray in his hands, a pre-filled syringe sat on the shiny metal. The guard looked over at him before nodding towards her.

Addison was curious, she wanted to know what she was about to be injected with because she doubted it was for her guard. "What's that?"

"Nothing of your concern," the masked man barked back at her.

The doctor that had been in to see her earlier slowly made his way toward her still tied form. "I'm going to give you an injection," he spoke those words aloud while speaking in her mind, "There's pain medication mixed in."

"Figured that," she answered in a similar manner. "Thank you." All she had to do now was wait for the medication to kick in and hope that whatever other drug was in that needle wasn't going to affect her ability to hold her tongue.


	11. Chapter Ten

 

The door that had been shut for the better part of the day flung open and smashed against the wall without warning.  Max was startled out of the Chief’s chair and stood to face whatever onslaught was coming his way.

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?”  The blue uniformed officer’s face was red with rage, his chest puffed with air and his body stiff as a board. 

Max chose his words carefully.  “I don’t know what you are talking about,” Max cut Heath off before he could start again, “but if what you’re asking about is what I suspect it is, then I honestly had no idea.”

“I doubt that.”  Heath scowled, but at least his demeanor had changed slightly.  There was less tension in his shoulders and the blood vessel in his neck was no longer popping out.  “How the hell could you not have known?  You practically live with both of them!” 

Max shook his head and glanced to the ground.  He spoke quietly, “I don’t know.  James is my best friend, and I had no idea.  Two years of it, almost?  You’d think she would have told me.”  He was sitting back in the chair that his boss normally occupied, but she was missing.  She had been missing for at least two days, confirmed.  Five days by Max’s count.  His hands ran through his short locks as he tried to let his mind wrap around the fact that they were gone without a trace.  The idea that he might never see James’ smiling face again, that he might never hear his boss laugh at one of the recruits’ mistakes, that the little girl Lily might never get the chance to grow up was too much to focus on for long.  When Max looked up at Heath again, everything had changed.  The anger was gone and replaced with trepidation and a deep worry.  “Have you heard anything?”

Heath shook his head.  “Have you?”

“From who?  You’re supposed to keep me in the loop, and you’re the one that’s supposed to know more than I do.” 

The police officer sat in the wooden chair usually occupied by James and let his body go lax.  “I don’t know anything more than you do, Max.  It’s an ongoing investigation, and it’s been handed off to detectives.  It has a high priority because it’s James and Addy and the kid, but they haven’t found anything.”  He started to pick at his already incredibly short nails. 

“Well, how did they even get kidnapped?  Those two aren’t exactly lazy, they’re in amazing shape.  For someone to take both of them down…” He didn’t want to think about what might have happened, but it was a question that he needed to ask.

Heath nodded.  “The milk was drugged, as well as all the juice and basically anything liquid in the fridge and cupboards with a removable lid.  Whoever did this wanted to take them, and they weren’t going to wait around for it to happen.”

“So we’re talking a planned, professional deal here.  Not something that was in the moment?”  When Heath nodded in agreement, Max’s mind turned to the interesting and annoying man that he had met.  Addison’s brother.  At least that had been what he claimed.  There was a war waging between his morals and his desire to keep some things to himself as he debated whether or not to tell Heath about Rob and their conversation. 

“This was definitely planned, and it was planned with precision.  The only problem is that no one can find any type of motive for whoever took them because there has been no ransom.  But I have motive according to the detective on the case.  I seem to be one of their main suspects.  I’m actually surprised that I haven’t been suspended yet.”  His eyes turned down, and his shoulders slumped.

“You?”  Max gave the man a sharp look demanding an answer.  “Why would they think that?”

“Addison and I were engaged.  For just over a year before she broke it off.”  He quieted a moment before continuing, “I didn’t handle it the best that I could have.”

Turning his chin up, Max made a quick connection.  “Leaving you is the reason that she moved here.”  At the solemn nod, he started to understand a bit more.  “And why did she leave you?”

Heath licked his lips and his cheeks turned red, his face hardened, and his jaw clenched.  “She caught me in bed with another woman.”  Heath took a breath before continuing, “On more than one occasion.”

Max left the silence as it was; he figured there was far more reason as to why Addison had left.  She was much too closed off for it to be only because of an affair.  The silence was becoming longer and longer, and Max wished that the man would just up and leave.  He really didn’t want to deal with Heath unless he had more information.  He was sure that the officer felt horrible and guilty, that his feelings for Addison were genuine even if misguided and not returned.  Max knew that Heath was struggling with Addison’s kidnapping and his own issues at work, but he hadn’t exactly been a friend to Max.  He was also sure that Heath had nothing else to offer him.

When the phone rang shrilly into the room, Max breathed a sigh of relief.  Anything to end the quiet was a blessing.  He picked up the headset and pressed it to his ear after giving an apology to Heath for needing to take the call.  “This is Interim Chief Maxwell.  No.  No.  I think you have the wrong number.  Oh, that’s okay.  Yeah, goodbye.” 

Max set the phone down and shifted in his seat as he prepared to dismiss Heath, but the knock on the door was a relief.  Max let out a breath he had been holding in his chest.  Horace popped his head in.  “Dinner’s ready, Chief.”  It was as if every ounce of air had been sucked out of the room and left all three of them gasping to survive.  Yes, he was the interim Battalion Chief, filling in until the real boss was back, but no one had dared call him that yet.  Max’s eyes turned to the recruit as he started to struggle for words. “I’m sorry—I didn’t—”

“It’s fine, Horace.  Thanks, I’ll be right out.”  The tension was broken, but the brick remained heavily on his chest.  She had to come back.  This wasn’t the job for him; this wasn’t what he wanted to do.  He wasn’t made to be filling out paperwork and making schedules.  That was her job.  The air escaped his lungs, the sigh echoing into the room as he pushed himself up.  “You’re welcome to join us, but if you don’t have any more information I don’t know how happy the guys will be.”  Max left the tiny office at the back of the station, knowing that when he returned Heath would be gone, that he would not follow Max out into the main room.

That dinner was the quietest meal Max ever experienced in the station house.  It had been noisier after the announcement that they were missing, but Max suspected that the news and the women being gone was finally starting to sink in.  It wasn’t until almost everyone had finished eating that Max remembered the card Rob had given him.  Slipping back into the office, he pulled it out of his wallet and flipped it over several times contemplating.  If he called, it wouldn’t be likely that he would get answers to his questions.  Rob may have agreed to keep him in the loop, but in all honesty, how much could the odd man tell him?  But if Max didn’t call, then he would never know.  For an hour, he sat there in the quiet room as the sun set and the new debate started in his mind. 

Picking up the bulky office line, he carefully and slowly pressed the ten digits and waited as the phone rang in his ear.  Max listened as the high voice spouted words at him.  “Are you calling me from the office line?” 

The question took him off-guard, and Max had to think about his answer before replying.  “Yes.  Why?”

“Hang up.”

Max was startled when the line went dead, and he awkwardly set the headset back in the holder, staring at the offending piece of plastic.  Shaking his head, he rethought what had just happened with Rob.  It didn’t take long for the anger to bubble from his gut into his chest.  The words burst forth without warning, “What the hell?” 

In an instant he went from confused, to panicked, and then to back to anger.  “That was extremely rude and unreasonable.  He’s the one that gave me the damn card in the first place,” Max growled out.  In frustration, he tossed the piece of paper with Rob’s name and number into the trash bin and stood up glaring at the telephone. 

“Fucker.”  The word slipped through his lips.  It was rare that he cursed, but the harsh word sounded throughout the deadly silent room and filled him with a sense of pleasure.  “Mother fucker!”  He shouted it louder this time.  It was as if the knot that had been held tightly in his chest and stomach released and everything tumbled down.  He sat back in the chair, his hands covered his face, and his mind reeled with the reality. 

The tears fell unbridled.

His best friend was gone.  Twenty plus years of seeing her just about every day and she was gone, vanished, disappeared, completely void from his life.  And she might never come back.  He might never know if she was living in horrible conditions for the next twenty plus years or if she had been killed along with so many others in whatever crime web had taken hold of her precious life.  God, nothing could be worse than the thoughts running around his head. 

Max had no idea how long he’d been sitting like that.  He was disturbed out of his reverie when there was yet again a quiet knock on his door.  Looking up, he saw Collins standing there with an awkward and pained expression covering his face like he’d planted face first into a mud pile.  “What is it?” Max asked tentatively.

“This came for you.”

“It came for me?” 

The short man walked in with a small box in his hands and the look still gracing his features.  “Yup, carrier brought it.”  He handed the brown box to Max and quickly exited the room. 

Max turned the cardboard over awkwardly in his hands and read his name neatly printed on the top with the address of the station house and nothing else.  There was no postal stamp, no certification of having gone through the process of being mailed.  Just his name.  His full legal name that no one knew except his boss and best friend, he might add.  Glancing at the clock above the door, he noted that the time was far too late for any postal service to be delivering.

Taking a risk, he reached for a pair of scissors and slid the sharp end through the tape.  Popping the top, he dumped it over, and shook it hard.  Styrofoam that was just small enough to fit inside the cardboard slid out with a bit of effort and landed on the desktop.  Taking the scissors again, he cut the tape that wrapped the Styrofoam and pulled the two pieces apart revealing a sleek, black burn phone.  Hesitantly, he reached forward and grasped the hard plastic, turning it over in his hands and turning the screen on.  The power was already on and it surprised him to see a text message on the front screen.  Following the instructions, he dialed the number in the message, which was also the one that the message had been sent from, and waited as it rang in his ear.

“I see you got my gift.”  The voice that resounded was eerily familiar. 

Max rolled his eyes and rested back in the rolling chair, reclining and holding the phone to his ear.  He was wondering if he was crazy or just plain desperate.  “Hello, Rob,” Max sneered.

“Glad to see you remember me.”

“How could I forget?”  Max huffed and smiled.  The man was growing on him a bit, in a crazy and annoying way. 

Max waited for a second as quiet passed between them.  He listened to the deep breaths of the other man and the small chatter that he could hear going on in the background of a man and woman speaking quickly.  He couldn’t make out what they were saying, but he wasn’t going to try very hard to figure it out.

“Well, did you call for something?” Rob’s voice interrupted Max’s thoughts. 

Furrowing his brow, Max racked his brain.  He had called.  “Yes, you said you would keep me in the loop about what was going on.”

“Not much to keep you in the loop with.”  There was a pounding sound that was hurried, fast, and consistent, as if the man was typing on a keyboard with rapid fire pace.  “We haven’t found a lot.”

“Not a lot, but you have found something.”  Max was quick, but Rob hadn’t exactly hidden the statement well.  Max didn’t think that he was very good at hiding things.  Addison had obviously received all that talent. 

“We have narrowed down their location.”

Max pulled in air between his teeth, creating a high pitched squeal.  He used it as a second to think before speaking.  “You narrowed it down?  Does that mean you know who took them?”

“Not really, that’s all still up in the air at the moment.”  Again, the clicking at the keyboard sounded.  “You see, when Addison was kidnapped six years ago and taken to an unknown location, it was the second time.  This would be the third, in case you lost count.  Anyway,” Rob heaved a rather large sigh, “we had a sub-dermal tracking device implanted under the skin in her arm.  It’s really harmless actually, quite like micro-chipping a dog that tends to escape and runs away when not wanted.”

“Rob.”

“Right.  So, we’ve been working on tracking this device.  But we’ve run into a few issues.  For starters, someone wiped it from our system, which shouldn’t have happened.  We had to back track on an old non-networked computer in order to find the damn coding for it.”

Max rolled his eyes, hoping that what the man was saying was true and not just a bunch of gibberish to throw him off.  “But you found the coding, right?”

“Yeah, a little bit ago.”

“A little bit?”

“Like an hour.” 

Again there was the clicking of keys, and Max was fairly certain that he had lost the man in his own little world.  “Rob.”  Max took a breath and waited.  “Rob.”  Huffing the breath through his nose, Max started again, “Rob!”  He had to say the name at least three more times before he got the man’s attention.  “You said you narrowed the location.  Where did you narrow it down to?”

“Um… not sure I should tell you that, but seeing as how it’s a rather large location there really can’t be that much harm, can there?”  The pounding that seemed to be a constant throughout their conversation came back.  “Since they were taken by the same group we can assume that they were kept together for at least a small amount of time, but we cannot assume that they are together now.  However, we’re pretty sure that they only know about Addison and the kid so that could mean that James is already in a different location and it’ll be crazy hard to find her.”

“Rob.”

“Oh right, they’re located somewhere in the southern part of the country.  But I’m having some issues narrowing it down further than that.  Actually, a lot of issues.”

Max made to remember the information, not daring to write it down.  “Southern? As in Southwest?  Southeast?”

“In the middle?  I’m not sure on that.  And I’m not sure even on _how_ southern.  It’s kind of ridiculous actually how this is _not_ working.  I can’t seem to get a clean lock.  It’s like every time I run the program they’re in a different location.  And it’s like that location is making leaps that are impossible to cover in the amount of time that I am leaving between each run of the program.  It is utterly and completely frustrating.” 

There was a smash and a shattering sound of breaking pieces as they spurted from whatever two things had collided.  Max listened intently for the release of a breath and smirked.  “Feeling any better now?”

“Yeah, surprisingly, I am feeling moderately better.”

“That’s good.”  Max was placating.  “What’d you break?”

“The keyboard.”  The tone of Rob’s voice said he was incredibly embarrassed by the situation.  However embarrassed the man might be, Max was glad he’d done it.  It showed that he actually cared about what was happening and even though he was happy-go-lucky ninety-nine percent of the time that he was just as worried as Max was himself.  “I can fix it, though.”

“I’m sure that you can.”  Max was smiling for the first time in what seemed like ages.  “So, you still have no idea who took them?”

Rob shuffled and hummed before he spoke.  “We have a few ideas.  Narrowed that down too, but that’s not really my department, so I don’t have the latest up-to-date information on that.  We’re looking at two fanatic groups within the Gift and one not associated with it.  The hard part is that each is rather large with many, many factions, so eliminating some of those factions from our watch list is proving to be difficult.”  There was a screech of metal against cement.  “But we’re still working on it, like I said.  Addison was an important part of this work and until she is recovered we will not stop.”

“Will you stop if you find her and not the others?”  It was the question that Max had wanted to ask but was completely dreading the answer to.  Luckily, he was not disappointed. 

“No, never.  They are a part of us as much as Addison is.  We will work to find them until all hope is lost or until we get proof, and I mean real tangible proof, of their deaths.”

“Good.”  Max let out a sigh of relief.  “I’m glad of that.”  There was a pause where the conversation seemed finished.  Max picked it up once again.  “Did you know that the food in the fridge was drugged?”

“It was drugged?  No, no I did not know this.”  Rob popped his lips as he thought.  “Drugged with what?”

“No idea, but everything liquid had it in there.  Cops are saying it was planned.”

“Well, it was planned for sure.  This is fantastic news.  It should help the others figure out who was behind this.  They would have to have tech, equipment, means, and they would have to have a lot going for them to be able to pull that sort of a stunt.  They would need to be watching the house to know when the drugs were consumed, so that they could come rushing in.  They probably tried a traditional kidnapping first, to distract.  This really helps a lot, Max.  Give me an hour and we should know who it was.  This is wonderful!  Well, not wonderful, but it’s very good to know.”

Max found himself smiling again.  “I know what you mean.”

“Right, so I’m going to go tell them.  If you need to contact me this is the number.  Only use this phone.  It’s all pre-paid, untraceable, the works, so you should be good.  But I got to run.  Ta ta for now!”  And just like that the call ended.  Max swiveled in his chair to face the window, his stomach a bit more at ease and his heart slightly uplifted. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This novel has now been published with Supposed Crimes, LLC. If you wish to read more (yes, I know I'm evil) please go buy it and support an indie author! Dying Embers, a prequel, will be coming soon.


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